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Updated: May 6, 2026
Strain Sensing Based on Multiscale Composite Materials Reinforced with Graphene Nanoplatelets
Published on: November 7, 2016
The piezoresistive effect in graphene-based polymeric composites
A Tamburrano1, F Sarasini, G De Bellis
1Department of Astronautical, Electrical and Energy Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, via Eudossiana 18, I-00184 Rome, Italy. Research Center on Nanotechnology Applied to Engineering of Sapienza (CNIS), Sapienza University of Rome, via Eudossiana 18, I-00184 Rome, Italy.
Abstract:
The strain-dependent electrical resistance of polyvinyl ester-based composites filled with different weight fractions of graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) has been experimentally investigated. The GNP synthesis and nanocomposite fabrication process have been optimized in order to obtain highly homogeneous filler dispersion and outstanding electrical properties. The produced nanocomposites showed a low percolation threshold of 0.226 wt% and electrical conductivity of nearly 10 S m(-1) at only 4 wt% of GNPs. The piezoresistive response of thin nanocomposite laminae has been assessed by measuring the variation of the electrical resistance as a function of the flexural strain in three-point bending tests under both quasi-static monotonic and dynamic cyclic loading conditions. The obtained results showed higher strain sensitivity than traditional metal foil strain gauges or recently investigated carbon-based nanocomposite films.
