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Flexible Zinc Oxide Nanowire Array/Graphene Nanohybrid for High-Sensitivity Strain Detection
Mohan Panth1, Brent Cook1, Mohammed Alamri1
1Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66045, United States.
ACS Omega
|November 2, 2020
Summary
Flexible strain sensors using zinc oxide nanowires on graphene show high sensitivity and fast response times. These novel sensors are promising for wearable electronics and touch screens.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Sensor Technology
Background:
- Flexible electronics require robust and sensitive strain sensors.
- Graphene and zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires offer unique electronic and piezoelectric properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a fully flexible strain sensor using vertically aligned ZnO nanowires on graphene.
- To investigate the sensor's performance under various mechanical deformations.
Main Methods:
- Vertically aligned ZnO nanowires (ZnO-VANWs) grown on graphene/polyethylene terephthalate (Gr/PET) via a seedless hydrothermal process.
- Utilizing the piezoelectric gating effect of ZnO-VANWs on graphene for strain detection.
- Fabrication with prefabricated Au/Ti electrodes.
Main Results:
- High response and fast response times (∼0.20 s) under normal forces (0.30–0.70 N).
- High gauge factors (up to ∼248) and rapid response/fall times (0.20 s/0.20 s) under bending curvatures (0.18–0.45 cm⁻¹).
- Reversible polarity change in response to bending direction (compressive/tensile strain).
Conclusions:
- The developed ZnO-VANWs/Gr/PET strain sensors are low-cost, scalable, and highly effective.
- Promising for applications in stress/strain monitoring, wearable electronics, and touch screens.
