A highly sensitive pressure sensor using conductive composite elastomers with wavy structures

Rujie Sun; Xiao-Chong Zhang; Jonathan Rossiter; Fabrizio Scarpa

doi:10.1117/12.2229775

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13 May 2016 A highly sensitive pressure sensor using conductive composite elastomers with wavy structures

Rujie Sun, Xiao-Chong Zhang, Jonathan Rossiter, Fabrizio Scarpa

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Proceedings Volume 9863, Smart Biomedical and Physiological Sensor Technology XIII; 98630Z (2016) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2229775
Event: SPIE Commercial + Scientific Sensing and Imaging, 2016, Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Abstract

Flexible pressure sensors are crucial components for the next generation wearable devices to monitor human physiological conditions. In this paper, we present a novel resistive pressure sensor based on hybrid composites made from carbon nanotube (CNT) for the conductive coating layer and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomers as the substrate. The high sensitivity of these sensors is attributed to the change of contact resistance caused by the variation of the contact areas between the wavy film and the electrodes. Porous electrodes were designed to increase the roughness of the interfaces, thus further enhancing the pressure sensitivity. The developed device was verified through a series of tests, and the sensor exhibited a high sensitivity of 2.05 kPa^-1 under a low pressure of 35.6 Pa.

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Rujie Sun, Xiao-Chong Zhang, Jonathan Rossiter, and Fabrizio Scarpa "A highly sensitive pressure sensor using conductive composite elastomers with wavy structures", Proc. SPIE 9863, Smart Biomedical and Physiological Sensor Technology XIII, 98630Z (13 May 2016); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2229775

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