High-density, highly sensitive sensor array of spiky carbon nanospheres for strain field mapping.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 38704400.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-024-47283-8 and PMC identifier 11069524.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
While accurate mapping of strain distribution is crucial for assessing stress concentration and estimating fatigue life in engineering applications, conventional strain sensor arrays face a great challenge in balancing sensitivity and sensing density for effective strain mapping. In this study, we present a Fowler-Nordheim tunneling effect of monodispersed spiky carbon nanosphere array on polydimethylsiloxane as strain sensor arrays to achieve a sensitivity up to 70,000, a sensing density of 100 pixel cm<sup>-2</sup>, and logarithmic linearity over 99% within a wide strain range of 0% to 60%. The highly ordered assembly of spiky carbon nanospheres in each unit also ensures high inter-unit consistency (standard deviation ≤3.82%). Furthermore, this sensor array can conformally cover diverse surfaces, enabling accurate acquisition of strain distributions. The sensing array offers a convenient approach for mapping strain fields in various applications such as flexible electronics, soft robotics, biomechanics, and structure health monitoring.