Engineering Nanocracks Enabled Soft Micro-Wrinkles with Anomalous Strain-Resistance Effect for Underwater...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electronics
• Robotics

Background:

• Conventional elastic wrinkle-based sensors use positive gauge-factor mechanisms, leading to high power consumption and heat generation.
• Existing stretchable electronics face challenges in power efficiency and operational stability, particularly in aquatic environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design a stretchable negative resistance electronic sensor using an interfacial interlocked soft-hard elastomeric wrinkle.
• To overcome the limitations of high power consumption and heat associated with traditional positive gauge-factor sensors.
• To demonstrate the sensor's application in wearable electronics and underwater robotics.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a hard CNTs/PDMS elastomeric film cross-linked in situ on a prestretched soft elastomer surface.
• Inducing wrinkle formation upon strain release to create the soft-hard elastomeric structure.
• Characterization of the sensor's negative resistance correlation, strain response range (0-90%), electrical stability (5000 cycles), and operating frequency (0.01-1.0 Hz) in water.

Main Results:

• The developed wrinkle-based sensor exhibits a negative resistance correlation with strain.
• Achieved a wide strain responsive range from 0% to 90%.
• Demonstrated long-term electrical stability over 5000 cycles and a wide operating frequency in an aqueous environment.

Conclusions:

• The interfacial interlocked soft-hard elastomeric wrinkle enables effective negative resistance electronics with low energy consumption.
• The sensor is suitable for wearable applications, including sensitive underwater motion monitoring for humans and robots.
• Integrated sensory flexible grippers show potential for real-time biometric tracking and retrieval in underwater environments.