Direct fabrication of flexible tensile sensors enabled by polariton energy transfer based on graphene nanosheet films

Abstract

A fundamental problem in the direct manufacturing of flexible devices is the low melting temperature of flexible substrates, which hinders the development of flexible electronics. Proposed here is an electron-cyclotron-resonance sputtering system that can batch-fabricate devices directly on flexible substrates under a low temperature by virtue of the polariton energy transfer between the plasma and the material. Flexible graphene nanosheet-embedded carbon (F-GNEC) films are manufactured directly on polyimide, polyethylene terephthalate, and polydimethylsiloxane, and how the substrate bias (electron energy), microwave power (plasma flux and energy), and magnetic field (electron flux) affect the nanostructure of the F-GNEC films is investigated, indicating that electron energy and flux contribute to the formation of standing graphene nanosheets in the film. The films have good uniformity of distribution in a large size (17 mm × 17 mm), and tensile and angle sensors with a high gauge factor (0.92) and fast response (50 ms) for a machine hand are obtained by virtue of the unique nanostructure of the F-GNEC film. This work sheds light on the quantum manufacturing of carbon sensors and its applications for intelligent machine hands and virtual-reality technology.

Bone-inspired (GNEC/HAPAAm) hydrogel with fatigue-resistance for use in underwater robots and highly piezoresistive sensors

“…Balancing the mechanical and electrical properties of hydrogels is challenging. Recently, graphene nanosheet-embedded carbon (GNEC) films were proposed to have vertically grown graphene nanosheets 40 and high-density edges and the unique ability to trap electrons. This three-dimensional conductive network with hybrid properties between those of organic and inorganic materials may be responsible for the enhanced electrical and mechanical properties of the GNEC-filled hydrogels.…”