Mass-produced SEBS/graphite nanoplatelet composites with a segregated structure for highly stretchable and recyclable strain sensors

Abstract

Conductive polymer composites (CPCs) have recently been widely recognized as potential sensing materials due to the advantages of light-weight, good processability, strong designability, and controllable electromechanical performances. Here, we proposed a simple, facile and mass production strategy to fabricate conductive styrene-b-(ethylene-co-butylene)-b-styrene (SEBS) triblock copolymer/graphite nanoplatelet (GNP) composites with a segregated structure by utilizing the micro-size characteristic of as-received SEBS powders and the ability of GNPs to attach to their surface. The resultant composites exhibited a low percolation threshold (∼0.3 vol%), good stretchability and elasticity, and high sensitivity. During cyclic strain sensing tests, the strain sensor made of the composite with 1.1 vol% GNPs presented excellent repeatability, good stability and superior durability. Moreover, this sensor could smartly monitor human motions, which demonstrated that the prepared CPCs could be applied as excellent sensing materials in smart wearable devices. The proposed materials and methods in this study open up a practical approach to design high-performance sensing materials.