A semi-permanent and durable nanoscale-crack-based sensor by on-demand healing

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Sensor Technology

Background:

• Achieving both high sensitivity and durability in sensors is challenging due to fatigue and contamination.
• Previous ultrasensitive nanoscale-crack sensors exhibited limited durability (thousands of cycles).

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a robust nanoscale-crack-based sensor with enhanced durability and sustained high sensitivity.
• To demonstrate site-specific repair capabilities for improved sensor longevity.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a self-healable polymer to create a nanoscale-crack-based sensor.
• Tested sensor durability through one million stretching cycles under 2% strain.
• Employed infrared light irradiation for site-specific crack recovery in arrayed sensors.

Main Results:

• The self-healable polymer enabled the sensor to maintain crack gap stability for 1 million cycles at 2% strain.
• Achieved remarkable durability without compromising high mechanosensitivity (gauge factor > 2000).
• Demonstrated successful site-specific recovery using infrared light irradiation.

Conclusions:

• A novel strategy combining self-healable polymers with nanoscale cracks offers a solution for incompatible sensor requirements.
• The developed sensor overcomes the traditional trade-off between sensitivity and durability.
• This approach paves the way for robust, long-lasting, and highly sensitive mechanical sensors.