Highly Sensitive Bendable and Foldable Paper Sensors Based on Reduced Graphene Oxide
Biswajit Saha1, Sangwoong Baek1, Junghoon Lee1
1BK21+ Transformative Training Program for Creative Mechanical and Aerospace Engineers and ‡Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Seoul National University , Seoul 151744, South Korea.
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|January 12, 2017
Summary
Researchers developed novel wearable sensors using patterned reduced graphene oxide (rGO) on paper substrates. These highly sensitive rGO-paper sensors can detect minute deformations and enable applications from health monitoring to controlling robotic devices.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Wearable Technology
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Increasing demand for high-performance wearable sensors for human interaction.
- Conventional sensor substrates (silicon, PDMS, copper mesh) have limitations.
- Need for flexible, sensitive, and cost-effective sensor materials.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose and fabricate a new class of wearable sensors using reduced graphene oxide (rGO) patterned paper substrates.
- To evaluate the sensitivity and performance of these rGO-paper sensors for detecting various deformations.
- To demonstrate the practical applications of these sensors in human motion detection and device control.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of wearable sensors by patterning reduced graphene oxide (rGO) on paper substrates.
- Characterization of sensor sensitivity to bending and folding deformations.
- Integration of rGO-paper sensors onto kirigami structures for pulse and joint motion detection.
- Demonstration of sensor control for a robotic hand and an rGO-paper keyboard.
Main Results:
- rGO-paper sensors exhibit high sensitivity to deformations, detecting bending angles as small as 0.2° and folding angles as small as 0.1°.
- Demonstrated successful detection of pulse and motion in knees, wrists, and fingers using kirigami-based sensors.
- rGO-paper sensors effectively controlled a robotic hand and activated LEDs via a keyboard interface.
Conclusions:
- Reduced graphene oxide patterned paper substrates offer a promising platform for high-performance wearable sensors.
- These sensors provide a flexible, sensitive, and potentially low-cost alternative for various human-interactive applications.
- The demonstrated applications highlight the potential of rGO-paper sensors in healthcare, robotics, and human-computer interfaces.
