Stretchable Sensor Made of MWCNT/ZnO Nanohybrid Particles in PDMS

Abstract

Stretchable and flexible electronic devices can be worn on the human body or incorporated into clothing. They have promising applications in the field of wearable electronics, flexible displays, and stretchable circuits. Here, a smart sensor based on multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) coated with zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs) and embedded in polydimethylsiloxane is reported. The smart sensor based on MWCNT/ZnO nanohybrid particles can measure a wide range of temperature (0–100 °C). The concentration of MWCNT and ZnO NP size is chosen in such a way that the sensor shows a stable and linear response to change in temperature and other deformation with high selectivity. The smart sensor has a negative temperature coefficient with a sensitivity of −33.6 kΩ °C−1, and bending movement sensitivity of the sensor is measured with different sizes of ZnO NP and can be tuned from 33.3 to 138.89 kΩ degree−1. The robust and high performance shown in this study makes the demonstrated sensor competitive for a variety of applications, including body motion detection, health monitoring, and robotics.

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