3D-Printed Graphene/Polydimethylsiloxane Composites for Stretchable and Strain-Insensitive Temperature Sensors.

Materials possessing exceptional temperature sensitivity and high stretchability are of importance for real-time temperature monitoring on three-dimensional components with complex geometries, when operating under various external deformation modes. Herein, we develop a stretchable temperature sensor consisting of cellular graphene/polydimethylsiloxane composite. The first of its kind, graphene-based polymer composites with desired microstructures are produced through a direct 3D ink-writing technique. The resultant composites possess long-range-ordered and precisely controlled cellular structure. Temperature-sensing properties of three cellular structures, including grid, triangular, and hexagonal porous structures are studied. It is found that all three cellular composites present more stable sensitivities than solid composites under external strains because of the fine porous structure that can effectively share the external strain, and the composites with a grid structure delivered particularly a stable sensing performance, showing only ∼15% sensitivity decrease at a large tensile strain of 20%. Taking full advantage of the composites with a grid structure in terms of sensitivity, durability, and stability, practical applications of the composite are demonstrated to monitor the cooling process of a heated tube and measure skin temperature accompanying an arbitrary wristwork.

[1]  Xu Liu,et al.  A highly sensitive graphene woven fabric strain sensor for wearable wireless musical instruments , 2017 .

[2]  E. Tervoort,et al.  3D Printing of Emulsions and Foams into Hierarchical Porous Ceramics , 2016, Advanced materials.

[3]  Qifa Zhou,et al.  Biomimetic Anisotropic Reinforcement Architectures by Electrically Assisted Nanocomposite 3D Printing , 2017, Advanced materials.

[4]  Yanqiu Chen,et al.  3D printing of a mechanically durable superhydrophobic porous membrane for oil–water separation , 2017 .

[5]  Feng Zhou,et al.  3D printing of shape changing composites for constructing flexible paper-based photothermal bilayer actuators , 2018 .

[6]  Zhong Lin Wang,et al.  Ultralight Cut-Paper-Based Self-Charging Power Unit for Self-Powered Portable Electronic and Medical Systems. , 2017, ACS nano.

[7]  Xi Shen,et al.  Ultrahigh dielectric constant and low loss of highly-aligned graphene aerogel/poly(vinyl alcohol) composites with insulating barriers , 2017 .

[8]  Shogo Nakata,et al.  Human-interactive multi-functional electronic wallpaper integrated with sensors and memory , 2017 .

[9]  Ellis Meng,et al.  Micromachined Thermal Flow Sensors - A Review , 2012, Micromachines.

[10]  Ya Yang,et al.  Effective energy storage from a hybridized electromagnetic-triboelectric nanogenerator , 2017 .

[11]  Zhongzhen Yu,et al.  The effect of surface chemistry of graphene on rheological and electrical properties of polymethylmethacrylate composites , 2012 .

[12]  J. A. Lewis.  Direct Ink Writing of 3D Functional Materials , 2006 .

[13]  W. Ye,et al.  Ultralow Electrical Percolation in Graphene Aerogel/Epoxy Composites , 2016 .

[14]  Chun H. Wang,et al.  Strain Sensors with Adjustable Sensitivity by Tailoring the Microstructure of Graphene Aerogel/PDMS Nanocomposites. , 2016, ACS applied materials & interfaces.

[15]  Lei Zhang,et al.  A Flexible Temperature Sensor Based on Reduced Graphene Oxide for Robot Skin Used in Internet of Things , 2018, Sensors.

[16]  R. Ghaffari,et al.  Recent Advances in Flexible and Stretchable Bio‐Electronic Devices Integrated with Nanomaterials , 2016, Advanced materials.

[17]  Qifa Zhou,et al.  3D‐Printed Biomimetic Super‐Hydrophobic Structure for Microdroplet Manipulation and Oil/Water Separation , 2018, Advanced materials.

[18]  Xin Ding,et al.  Review of Flexible Temperature Sensing Networks for Wearable Physiological Monitoring , 2017, Advanced healthcare materials.

[19]  Xu Liu,et al.  Sliced graphene foam films for dual-functional wearable strain sensors and switches. , 2018, Nanoscale horizons.

[20]  Alexandra M. Golobic,et al.  Highly compressible 3D periodic graphene aerogel microlattices , 2015, Nature Communications.

[21]  Mark S. Mirotznik,et al.  Microstructural characterization of additively manufactured multi-directional preforms and composites via X-ray micro-computed tomography , 2016 .

[22]  Goangseup Zi,et al.  Stretchable Active Matrix Temperature Sensor Array of Polyaniline Nanofibers for Electronic Skin , 2016, Advanced materials.

[23]  K. Mabuchi,et al.  Ultraflexible, large-area, physiological temperature sensors for multipoint measurements , 2015, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

[24]  Stretchable sensors don’t feel the strain , 2018 .

[25]  Xiaodong Chen,et al.  Flexible and Stretchable Devices , 2016, Advanced materials.

[26]  Yuhao Liu,et al.  Lab-on-Skin: A Review of Flexible and Stretchable Electronics for Wearable Health Monitoring. , 2017, ACS nano.

[27]  Tae Won Kang,et al.  A patterned single layer graphene resistance temperature sensor , 2017, Scientific Reports.

[28]  Ying Wu,et al.  An Ultralight Graphene Honeycomb Sandwich for Stretchable Light‐Emitting Displays , 2018 .

[29]  Feng Zhou,et al.  Solvent-free and photocurable polyimide inks for 3D printing , 2017 .

[30]  Xiaohong Qin,et al.  Additive manufacturing of multi-directional preforms for composites: opportunities and challenges , 2015 .

[31]  Jesper Edberg,et al.  Thermoelectric Polymer Aerogels for Pressure–Temperature Sensing Applications , 2017 .

[32]  Q. Zheng,et al.  Self-aligned graphene as anticorrosive barrier in waterborne polyurethane composite coatings , 2014 .

[33]  Shun Mao,et al.  Strategies for Improving the Performance of Sensors Based on Organic Field‐Effect Transistors , 2018, Advanced materials.

[34]  Michele Magno,et al.  Biodegradable and Highly Deformable Temperature Sensors for the Internet of Things , 2017 .

[35]  Ling-Ling Liu,et al.  Enhanced delamination initiation stress and monitoring sensitivity of quasi-isotropic laminates under in-plane tension by interleaving with CNT buckypaper , 2016 .

[36]  S. Bai,et al.  Three-Dimensional Graphene Foam-Filled Elastomer Composites with High Thermal and Mechanical Properties. , 2017, ACS applied materials & interfaces.

[37]  Jang‐Kyo Kim,et al.  Graphene aerogel/epoxy composites with exceptional anisotropic structure and properties. , 2015, ACS applied materials & interfaces.

[38]  Biao Zhang,et al.  Percolation threshold of graphene nanosheets as conductive additives in Li4Ti5O12 anodes of Li-ion batteries. , 2013, Nanoscale.

[39]  C. Du,et al.  Wearable temperature sensor based on graphene nanowalls , 2015 .

[40]  André R. Studart,et al.  Cellulose Nanocrystal Inks for 3D Printing of Textured Cellular Architectures , 2017 .

[41]  Zhuo Kang,et al.  Ultrasensitive and stretchable resistive strain sensors designed for wearable electronics , 2017 .

[42]  Qingwen Li,et al.  Carbon‐Nanotube Fibers for Wearable Devices and Smart Textiles , 2016, Advanced materials.

[43]  Nae-Eung Lee,et al.  An All‐Elastomeric Transparent and Stretchable Temperature Sensor for Body‐Attachable Wearable Electronics , 2016, Advanced materials.

[44]  Qifa Zhou,et al.  Recent Progress in Biomimetic Additive Manufacturing Technology: From Materials to Functional Structures , 2018, Advanced materials.

[45]  Sida Luo,et al.  SWCNT/Graphite Nanoplatelet Hybrid Thin Films for Self‐Temperature‐Compensated, Highly Sensitive, and Extensible Piezoresistive Sensors , 2013, Advanced materials.

[46]  Jang‐Kyo Kim,et al.  Multilayer Graphene Enables Higher Efficiency in Improving Thermal Conductivities of Graphene/Epoxy Composites. , 2016, Nano letters.

[47]  Xiaohua Ma,et al.  Ultra-Lightweight Resistive Switching Memory Devices Based on Silk Fibroin. , 2016, Small.

[48]  D. Hui,et al.  Microstructure, electrical conductivity and microwave absorption properties of γ-FeNi decorated carbon nanotube composites , 2016 .

[49]  Yong He,et al.  Three-Dimensional Printed Wearable Sensors with Liquid Metals for Detecting the Pose of Snakelike Soft Robots. , 2018, ACS applied materials & interfaces.

[50]  Mark S. Mirotznik,et al.  Microstructural design and additive manufacturing and characterization of 3D orthogonal short carbon fiber/acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene preform and composite , 2016 .

[51]  Zhong Lin Wang,et al.  Skin-inspired highly stretchable and conformable matrix networks for multifunctional sensing , 2018, Nature Communications.

[52]  T. Trung,et al.  Flexible and Stretchable Physical Sensor Integrated Platforms for Wearable Human‐Activity Monitoringand Personal Healthcare , 2016, Advanced materials.

[53]  M. Bendahan,et al.  Temperature sensor realized by inkjet printing process on flexible substrate , 2016 .

[54]  John A Rogers,et al.  Three-dimensional nanonetworks for giant stretchability in dielectrics and conductors , 2012, Nature Communications.

[55]  P. Ma,et al.  Stretchable and compressible strain sensor based on carbon nanotube foam/polymer nanocomposites with three-dimensional networks , 2018, Composites Science and Technology.