Manufacturing of nanomaterial composites and flexible electronic devices with record high performance for human-technology design, human–computer interaction, biomedical sensing and soft robotics

Abstract

In recent years, stretchable and skin-attachable electronic sensors with captivating sensing performance and properties are highly significant for soft robotics, healthcare, human–machine interfaces, sports performance monitoring, and flexible and wearable electronics. However, a grand challenge still exists, i.e., achieving strain sensors with high sensitivity, high linearity, and high stretchability (or wide sensing range) by a facile, low-cost, and scalable fabrication technique. This work presents sandwich structured Dragon skin/Ag nanomaterials/Dragon skin based composite strain sensors via printing technology which precisely deposits functional materials in a rapid, non-contact, and maskless approach allowing high volume production. It is worth mentioning that the fabricated strain sensor exhibits many fascinating merits, including ultrasensitivity (gauge factor (GF) of 3.68 × 10⁸ at 98% strain), a broad strain sensing range of over 98%, high linearity (R² > 99% and a linear sensing range of up to 60% strain), low monitoring limit, fast response time (400 ms), low hysteresis, excellent repeatability and reversibility, low overshooting characteristics, and prominent stability. These high performance sensing properties and characteristics allow the strain sensor to effectively monitor small-scale and large-scale human motions. This work reports stretchable and wearable strain sensors with both high sensitivity and high stretchability simultaneously and flexible electronic devices for soft robotics, healthcare technology and wearable electronics.