Piezoresistive sensing in chopped carbon fiber embedded PDMS yarns

Abstract Tuning the piezoresistive behavior of conductive polymeric composites requires an in-depth understanding of the structure-property relationships and deformation mechanisms at the polymer/conductive filler interface. In this paper, the unknown sources of nonlinearity (as frequently observed for specific material systems) are identified for the flexible and stretchable chopped carbon fiber (CCF)/polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) conductive yarns. It is found that under cyclic loading the resistance initially reduces (negative piezoresistivity) up to a specific transition strain, beyond which positive piezoresistivity is observed until the onset of unloading. Apart from the opposing effects of fiber separation and Poisson's effect, the results suggest that such nonlinearity stems from carbon fiber (CF) buckling induced by CCF/PDMS interfacial friction upon unloading. Nevertheless, a low percolation threshold (1.41 wt%) was attained along with high sensitivity (gauge factors as high as ∼60 in cyclic loading) and stretchability (up to 25%). These characteristics make the CCF/PDMS sensors suitable for 3D-printable inks and stain sensing applications. For the latter, the sensors were integrated with a picture frame shear test setup to monitor the strain along the yarns in fiberglass/polypropylene fabrics subjected to Picture Frame test. Also, the capability of the sensors was demonstrated while used as wearable devices for detecting human joint motion.

[1]  Sheila M. Goodman,et al.  Smart papers comprising carbon nanotubes and cellulose microfibers for multifunctional sensing applications , 2017 .

[2]  Jong-Ho Kim,et al.  Enhanced performance in capacitive force sensors using carbon nanotube/polydimethylsiloxane nanocomposites with high dielectric properties. , 2016, Nanoscale.

[3]  Jianwen Liu,et al.  Multifunctional films composed of carbon nanotubes and cellulose regenerated from alkaline–urea solution , 2013 .

[4]  Homayoun Najjaran,et al.  Low-cost ultra-stretchable strain sensors for monitoring human motion and bio-signals , 2018 .

[5]  V. Varshney,et al.  Multiphysics characterization of multi-walled carbon nanotube thermoplastic polyurethane polymer nanocomposites during compression , 2016 .

[6]  G. Holzapfel,et al.  A method for the approximation of non-uniform fiber misalignment in textile composites using picture frame test , 2007 .

[7]  Jaeyoung Jang,et al.  Poly(3-hexylthiophene) wrapped carbon nanotube/poly(dimethylsiloxane) composites for use in finger-sensing piezoresistive pressure sensors , 2011 .

[8]  Kun Dai,et al.  The effect of filler dimensionality on the electromechanical performance of polydimethylsiloxane based conductive nanocomposites for flexible strain sensors , 2017 .

[9]  J. Cauich‐Rodríguez,et al.  Influence of rigid segment and carbon nanotube concentration on the cyclic piezoresistive and hysteretic behavior of multiwall carbon nanotube/segmented polyurethane composites , 2016 .

[10]  H. Lee,et al.  Electrical properties and piezoresistive evaluation of polyurethane-based composites with carbon nano-materials , 2015 .

[11]  Yan Li,et al.  Poisson Ratio and Piezoresistive Sensing: A New Route to High‐Performance 3D Flexible and Stretchable Sensors of Multimodal Sensing Capability , 2016 .

[12]  F. Sassani,et al.  The Role of Intra-Yarn Shear in Integrated Multi-Scale Deformation Analyses of Woven Fabrics: A Critical Review , 2018 .

[13]  Gaurav Pandey,et al.  Localized functionally modified glass fibers with carbon nanotube networks for crack sensing in composites using time domain reflectometry , 2012 .

[14]  T. Ding,et al.  Effects of instantaneous compression pressure on electrical resistance of carbon black filled silicone rubber composite during compressive stress relaxation , 2008 .

[15]  A. Milani,et al.  Passive control of wrinkles in woven fabric preforms using a geometrical modification of blank holders , 2018 .

[16]  Hossein Montazerianoliaee.  Development of stretchable sensors for enhanced shear characterization of woven fabric composites , 2018 .

[17]  Guochang Lin,et al.  Effect of misalignment on shear response of plain woven fabric in picture frame test: experiments and finite element modelling , 2016 .

[18]  R. Lakes,et al.  Mechanical instabilities of individual multiwalled carbon nanotubes under cyclic axial compression. , 2007, Nano letters.

[19]  Tao Hua,et al.  Electromechanical properties of a yarn strain sensor with graphene-sheath/polyurethane-core , 2017 .

[20]  X. Tao,et al.  Experimental investigation of formability of commingled woven composite preform in stamping operation , 2011 .

[21]  Jaycee H. Chung,et al.  Time dependent piezoresistive behavior of polyvinylidene fluoride/carbon nanotube conductive composite , 2009 .

[22]  Zhongqing Su,et al.  Ultra-broadband frequency responsive sensor based on lightweight and flexible carbon nanostructured polymeric nanocomposites , 2017 .

[23]  Rui Zhang,et al.  Universal resistivity-strain dependence of carbon nanotube/polymer composites , 2007 .

[24]  Changyu Shen,et al.  Conductive herringbone structure carbon nanotube/thermoplastic polyurethane porous foam tuned by epoxy for high performance flexible piezoresistive sensor , 2017 .

[25]  L. Gao,et al.  A Stretchable and Highly Sensitive Graphene‐Based Fiber for Sensing Tensile Strain, Bending, and Torsion , 2015, Advanced materials.

[26]  Tushar K. Ghosh,et al.  Polymer Nanocomposites Containing Carbon Nanofibers as Soft Printable Sensors Exhibiting Strain‐Reversible Piezoresistivity , 2013 .

[27]  Zhe Yin,et al.  Flexible and Highly Sensitive Pressure Sensors Based on Bionic Hierarchical Structures , 2017 .

[28]  Luheng Wang,et al.  Study on compressive resistance creep and recovery of flexible pressure sensitive material based on carbon black filled silicone rubber composite , 2011 .

[29]  Shuhong Yu,et al.  A Flexible and Highly Pressure‐Sensitive Graphene–Polyurethane Sponge Based on Fractured Microstructure Design , 2013, Advanced materials.

[30]  Nemkumar Banthia,et al.  Cement-based sensors with carbon fibers and carbon nanotubes for piezoresistive sensing , 2012 .

[31]  Congli He,et al.  Ultra-sensitive strain sensors based on piezoresistive nanographene films , 2012 .

[32]  Yu Song,et al.  Omnidirectional Bending and Pressure Sensor Based on Stretchable CNT‐PU Sponge , 2017 .

[33]  Changyu Shen,et al.  A highly stretchable and stable strain sensor based on hybrid carbon nanofillers/polydimethylsiloxane conductive composites for large human motions monitoring , 2018 .

[34]  P. Pötschke,et al.  Tuning the Network Structure in Poly(vinylidene fluoride)/Carbon Nanotube Nanocomposites Using Carbon Black: Toward Improvements of Conductivity and Piezoresistive Sensitivity. , 2016, ACS applied materials & interfaces.

[35]  M. T. Martínez,et al.  Relationship between electromechanical response and percolation threshold in carbon nanotube/poly(vinylidene fluoride) composites , 2013 .

[36]  Chen Jianguang,et al.  A large-strain weft-knitted sensor fabricated by conductive UHMWPE/PANI composite yarns , 2016 .

[37]  P. Poulin,et al.  Flowing suspensions of carbon black with high electronic conductivity for flow applications: Comparison between carbons black and exhibition of specific aggregation of carbon particles , 2017 .

[38]  Saral K. Kalanadhabhatla.  Piezoresistivity Behavior of Polydimethylsiloxane Based Conducting Composites for Printing on Textiles , 2012 .

[39]  Jin-Woo Choi,et al.  Strain-Dependent Resistance of PDMS and Carbon Nanotubes Composite Microstructures , 2010, IEEE Transactions on Nanotechnology.

[40]  Congli He,et al.  Tunable piezoresistivity of nanographene films for strain sensing. , 2015, ACS nano.

[41]  E. Meng,et al.  High strain biocompatible polydimethylsiloxane-based conductive graphene and multiwalled carbon nanotube nanocomposite strain sensors , 2013 .

[42]  Xuanliang Zhao,et al.  Multifunctional Polymer-Based Graphene Foams with Buckled Structure and Negative Poisson’s Ratio , 2016, Scientific Reports.

[43]  Myounggu Park,et al.  Strain-dependent electrical resistance of multi-walled carbon nanotube/polymer composite films , 2008, Nanotechnology.

[44]  T. Ding,et al.  Research on stress and electrical resistance of skin-sensing silicone rubber/carbon black nanocomposite during decompressive stress relaxation , 2009 .

[45]  A. Milani,et al.  A multi-step biaxial bias extension test for wrinkling/de-wrinkling characterization of woven fabrics: Towards optimum forming design guidelines , 2018 .

[46]  F. Sassani,et al.  Understanding different types of coupling in mechanical behavior of woven fabric reinforcements: A critical review and analysis , 2017 .

[47]  Guoxia Fei,et al.  Piezoresistive and compression resistance relaxation behavior of water blown carbon nanotube/polyurethane composite foam , 2015 .

[48]  Strain sensing in single carbon fiber epoxy composites by simultaneous in-situ Raman and piezoresistance measurements , 2016 .

[49]  Zhongqing Su,et al.  Broadband dynamic responses of flexible carbon black/poly (vinylidene fluoride) nanocomposites: A sensitivity study , 2017 .

[50]  Yanling Li,et al.  Piezoresistive response to changes in contributive tunneling film network of carbon nanotube/silicone rubber composite under multi-load/unload , 2013 .

[51]  Abbas S. Milani,et al.  A frameless picture frame test with embedded sensor: Mitigation of imperfections in shear characterization of woven fabrics , 2019, Composite Structures.

[52]  Zhidong Xia,et al.  3D printing of carbon fiber-filled conductive silicon rubber , 2018 .

[53]  Cheol-Min Yang,et al.  A theoretical study on the piezoresistive response of carbon nanotubes embedded in polymer nanocomposites in an elastic region , 2017 .

[54]  Zhanhu Guo,et al.  Enhanced electrical conductivity and piezoresistive sensing in multi-wall carbon nanotubes/polydimethylsiloxane nanocomposites via the construction of a self-segregated structure. , 2017, Nanoscale.

[55]  A. Milani,et al.  Analysis of a two-way tension-shear coupling in woven fabrics under combined loading tests: Global to local transformation of non-orthogonal normalized forces and displacements , 2016 .

[56]  S. Schmauder,et al.  Plastic deformation and compressive mechanical properties of hollow sphere aluminum foams produced by space holder technique , 2015 .

[57]  T. Gacoin,et al.  Piezoresistive Properties of Ag/Silica Nano‐Composite Thin Films Close to the Percolation Threshold , 2014 .

[58]  Hani E. Naguib,et al.  Piezoresistance characterization of poly(dimethyl-siloxane) and poly(ethylene) carbon nanotube composites , 2011 .

[59]  P. Potluri,et al.  Characterising the shear–tension coupling and wrinkling behaviour of woven engineering fabrics , 2012 .

[60]  E. Kontou,et al.  Strain and damage monitoring in SBR nanocomposites under cyclic loading , 2017 .

[61]  Pooi See Lee,et al.  Highly Stretchable Piezoresistive Graphene–Nanocellulose Nanopaper for Strain Sensors , 2014, Advanced materials.