Enhancing the linearity and stability of a fabric-based strain sensor with microfolded graphene structures

Abstract

Fabric-based strain sensors can be seamlessly integrated into wearable systems for monitoring various physiological signals. Although many different approaches have been proposed to increase the sensitivity of the fabric-based strain sensor, the linearity and stability in large strains are still challenging. In this paper, a fabric-based strain sensor with good linearity and stability was fabricated via a three-step dip-coating method. Specifically, the combination of multiwall carbon nanotubes and reduced graphene oxide was used as the conductive material to enhance the stability. Meanwhile, microfolded structures between two reduced graphene oxide layers were created via pre-stretching to achieve good linearity. Through mechanical experiments, the performance of the fabric-based strain sensor was characterized. In addition, the practical applications of the strain sensor were demonstrated by monitoring different physiological signals.