Wang Hao, Lin Yong, Yang Cheng, Bai Chong, Hu Gaohua, Sun Yuping, Wang Menglu, Lu Yan-Qing, Kong Desheng
College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructure, and Collaborative Innovation Centre of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China.
State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, and Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Artificial Functional Materials, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China.
Nano Lett. 2024 Oct 23;24(42):13405-13413. doi: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.4c04023. Epub 2024 Oct 9.
Compliant strain gauges are well-suited to monitor tiny movements and processes in the body. However, they are easily damaged by unexpected impacts in practical applications, limiting their utility in controlled laboratory environments. This study introduces elastic microcracked MXene films for mechanically driven self-healing strain gauges. MXene films are deposited on soft silicone substrates and intentionally stretched to create saturated microcracks. The resulting device not only has high sensitivity but also can recover its original sensing capability even after experiencing failure-level overstrains. This electrical self-healing ability is achieved through the elastic rebound of the substrate, which autonomously restores the microcracked morphology of the MXene film. The MXene strain gauge can withstand overextension, twisting, impact forces, and even car rolling. The device is also resilient to touch-induced damage during monitoring of physiological motions. The mechanically driven self-healing strategy may effectively improve the durability of highly sensitive strain sensors.
柔顺应变片非常适合监测人体中的微小运动和过程。然而，在实际应用中，它们很容易因意外撞击而损坏，这限制了它们在可控实验室环境中的效用。本研究介绍了用于机械驱动自修复应变片的弹性微裂纹MXene薄膜。MXene薄膜沉积在柔软的硅树脂基板上，并有意拉伸以产生饱和微裂纹。由此产生的器件不仅具有高灵敏度，而且即使在经历故障级别的过度应变后也能恢复其原始传感能力。这种电自修复能力是通过基板的弹性回弹实现的，基板能自动恢复MXene薄膜的微裂纹形态。MXene应变片可以承受过度拉伸、扭曲、冲击力，甚至汽车碾压。该器件在监测生理运动过程中对触摸引起的损伤也具有弹性。机械驱动的自修复策略可以有效地提高高灵敏度应变传感器的耐用性。
