Park Chan, Kim Jungmin, Kang Jeongbeam, Lee Byeongjun, Lee Haran, Park Cheoljeong, Yoon Jongwon, Song Chiwon, Kim Hojoong, Yeo Woon-Hong, Cho Seong J
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Chungnam National University, 99 Daehak-ro, 34134, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, The Republic of Korea.
George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering and Wearable Intelligent Systems and Healthcare Center, Georgia Institute of Technology, GA, 30332, Atlanta, USA.
Nanoscale. 2024 Jul 25;16(29):14143-14154. doi: 10.1039/d4nr01324g.
Rapidly fabricating flexible and stretchable sensors on nonplanar surfaces is crucial for wearable device applications. We employed a novel fabrication method, incorporating molds and gels into electroless plating, to enable direct printing of sensors on a wide array of surfaces, from those with up to 100 μm profile heights to hydrogels with a Young's modulus of 100 kPa. This coatable strain (CS) sensor offers several potential advantages. Firstly, it is designed to circumvent the typical limitations of limited flexibility, plastic deformation, and low repeatability found in viscoelastic polymers by being directly coated onto the surface without requiring a substrate. Secondly, it potentially increases the effective contact area and signal-to-noise ratio by eliminating voids between the sensor and the surface. Finally, the CS sensor can obtain any desired patterning at room temperature in a matter of minutes, significantly reducing energy and time consumption. In this study, we demonstrated the versatility of the CS sensor by applying it to a range of substrates, showcasing its adaptability to diverse materials, surface roughness levels, and Young's modulus values. Our primary focus was on plant growth monitoring, a challenging application that showcased the sensor's efficacy on surfaces like needles, hairy leaves, and fruits. These applications, traditionally difficult for conventional polymer-based sensors, serve to illustrate the CS sensor's potential in a range of complex environmental contexts. The successful deployment of the CS sensor in these settings suggests its broader applicability in various scientific and technological fields, potentially contributing to significant developments in the area of wearable devices and beyond.
在非平面表面上快速制造柔性和可拉伸传感器对于可穿戴设备应用至关重要。我们采用了一种新颖的制造方法，将模具和凝胶纳入化学镀中，以实现传感器在各种表面上的直接打印，这些表面的轮廓高度可达100μm，杨氏模量为100kPa的水凝胶也适用。这种可涂覆应变（CS）传感器具有几个潜在优势。首先，它被设计为通过直接涂覆在表面上而无需基材，从而规避了粘弹性聚合物中常见的有限柔韧性、塑性变形和低重复性等典型限制。其次，它通过消除传感器与表面之间的空隙，有可能增加有效接触面积和信噪比。最后，CS传感器可以在室温下在几分钟内获得任何所需的图案，显著降低能源和时间消耗。在本研究中，我们通过将CS传感器应用于一系列基材，展示了其多功能性，展示了其对不同材料、表面粗糙度水平和杨氏模量值的适应性。我们的主要重点是植物生长监测，这是一个具有挑战性的应用，展示了该传感器在针状、多毛叶片和果实等表面上的功效。这些应用对于传统的基于聚合物的传感器来说传统上是困难的，这说明了CS传感器在一系列复杂环境中的潜力。CS传感器在这些环境中的成功部署表明了其在各种科学和技术领域的更广泛适用性，可能为可穿戴设备及其他领域的重大发展做出贡献。
