Textile Strain Sensor Enhancement by Coating Metal Yarns with Carbon-Filled Silicone

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Textile Engineering
• Wearable Technology

Background:

• Flexible and stretchable strain sensors are vital for smart textiles, measuring movements and forces.
• Existing sensors often lack high sensitivity for small strains (<5%), limiting health monitoring applications like breathing or heartbeat detection.
• There is a need for strain sensors capable of detecting minimal strains (~1%) with high sensitivity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop highly sensitive strain sensors capable of detecting 1% strain.
• To investigate the effect of a carbon-containing silicone coating on metallic yarns for strain sensing.
• To create a simple and effective method for producing strain sensors for wearable electronics.

Main Methods:

• Six commercial metallic yarns were coated using vertical dip-coating technology with a custom 3D printed coating bath.
• Coated yarns were interlooped to form a sensory structure.
• Electrical resistance measurements were performed during 1% stretching to evaluate sensor performance.

Main Results:

• The carbon-containing silicone coating reduced the overall conductivity of the metallic yarns.
• Despite reduced conductivity, the coating significantly improved the sensitivity of the yarns to strain.
• The developed interlooped structure enhanced the strain-sensing capabilities.

Conclusions:

• Highly sensitive strain sensors for small loads were successfully produced using a straightforward coating and interlooping process.
• These sensors demonstrate potential for integration into textile structures for advanced wearable electronics and health monitoring.
• The findings highlight a promising approach for developing next-generation smart textiles.