Ultrastretchable Multilayered Fiber with a Hollow-Monolith Structure for High-Performance Strain Sensor

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Wearable Electronics

Background:

• Flexible strain sensors are vital for data acquisition devices in healthcare, intelligent systems, and robotics.
• Achieving a balance between wide detection range and high sensitivity in stretchable strain sensors remains a significant challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fabricate a novel, high-performance stretchable strain sensor with enhanced properties.
• To explore a new fabrication route for advanced wearable electronics.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a multilayered, hollow, monolith-structured carbon nanotube/thermoplastic polyurethane fiber using coaxial wet-spun assembly.
• Assembly of the fiber into a strain sensor to evaluate its performance characteristics.

Main Results:

• The fabricated fiber exhibits high stretchability (up to 476% strain) and low density (0.46 g/cm3).
• The strain sensor demonstrates a wide sensing range (>350% strain), high sensitivity (gauge factor of 166.7 at 350% strain), and excellent durability (>10,000 cycles).
• The sensor can detect small compressing deformations with superior stability.

Conclusions:

• The developed fiber offers a promising solution for high-performance wearable electronics.
• The unique hollow-monolith structure provides a good integration of flexibility, strength, and high elongation.
• This work presents a new pathway for creating advanced, lightweight, and highly stretchable strain sensors.