Recent Progress in Conducting Polymer Composite/Nanofiber-Based Strain and Pressure Sensors

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Science
• Sensor Technology

Background:

• Conducting polymers possess intrinsic delocalized π-electrons, enabling tunable electrical properties from semiconductive to metallic.
• These polymers and their composites show significant promise for strain and pressure sensors due to enhanced sensitivity, sensing range, durability, and mechanical robustness.
• Electrospinning facilitates the creation of micro to nano-dimensional fibers with high aspect ratios, suitable for advanced sensor fabrication.

Purpose of the Study:

• To comprehensively review the fundamentals of conducting polymers for sensor applications.
• To cover sensor fabrication techniques, working modes, and recent advancements in thin film, porous, and nanofibrous sensors.
• To systematically review the importance of nanofiber and textile-based sensory devices for futuristic wearable electronics.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of conducting polymers, electrospinning, and sensor technologies.
• Analysis of sensor fabrication methods for thin film, porous, and nanofibrous architectures.
• Evaluation of working principles and performance metrics of conducting polymer-based sensors.

Main Results:

• Conducting polymers offer tunable electrical properties and improved sensor performance metrics.
• Electrospinning is a key technique for fabricating high-performance nanofibrous sensors.
• Recent trends focus on enhancing sensitivity, expanding sensing range, reducing hysteresis, and improving durability.

Conclusions:

• Conducting polymers are crucial for developing high-performance strain and pressure sensors.
• Nanofiber and textile-based sensors fabricated using conducting polymers are vital for wearable electronics.
• Further research is needed to overcome existing challenges and advance the field of wearable sensory devices.