Giant Electrostrictive Response and Piezoresistivity of Emulsion Templated Nanocomposites

Using an emulsion road and optimizing the dispersion process, we prepare polymer carbone nanotubes (CNT) and polymer reduced graphene oxide (rGO) composites. The introduction of conductive nanoparticles into polymer matrices modifies the electronic properties of the material. We show that these materials exhibit giant electrostriction coefficients in the intermediate filler concentration (below 1 wt %). This makes them very promising for applications such as capacitive sensors and actuators. In addition, the values of the piezoresistivity measured in the high filler concentration situation are at least an order of magnitude greater than the one reported in the literature. This opens the way to use these materials for stress or strain sensor applications considering their giant responses to mechanical deformations.