Multifunctional Highly Sensitive Multiscale Stretchable Strain Sensor Based on a Graphene/Glycerol–KCl Synergistic Conductive Network

Abstract

Stretchable strain sensors have promising applications in health monitoring and human motion detection. However, only a few of the strain sensors reported to date have exhibited a multiscale strain range and a high gauge factor simultaneously. As such, most strain sensors cannot be used in applications that require both high sensitivity and a multiscale strain range. In this work, we develop a wearable multifunctional strain sensor using graphene and a new ionic conductor as the sensing material and Ecoflex as the encapsulant. In the ionic conductor, KCl and glycerol are used as the electrolyte and solvent, respectively. This deformable ionic conductor connects cracked graphene sheets electronically, enabling the strain sensor to be stretched to 300% of its original length with a moderate gauge factor of 25.2. The sensor can respond to various mechanical deformations including stretching, bending, and pressing. When attached to human body, the sensor can monitor large-scale strains (>50%) for joint movement and small-scale strains (<10%) for facial expressions and pulses. When stretched, the sensor also shows good sensitivity in static temperature sensing. Therefore, this multifunctional stretchable sensor has good prospect of applications in human motion detection and health monitoring.