Flexible piezoresistive strain sensor based on CNTs–polymer composites: a brief review

Yi Ying; Wang Bo; Liu Xingyue; Li Changping

doi:10.1007/s42823-022-00320-2

Flexible piezoresistive strain sensor based on CNTs–polymer composites: a brief review

Carbon Letters
Abbr : Carbon Lett.
2022, 32(3), pp.713-726
DOI : 10.1007/s42823-022-00320-2
Publisher : Korean Carbon Society
Research Area : Natural Science > Natural Science General > Other Natural Sciences General
Received : October 18, 2021
Accepted : December 30, 2021
Published : May 1, 2022

Yi Ying ¹, Wang Bo ², Liu Xingyue ³, Li Changping ⁴

¹China University of Geosciences
²Hamad Bin Khalifa University
³School of Mechanical Engineering and Electronic Information, China University of Geosciences
⁴College of Communication and Information Engineering, Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications

Accredited

ABSTRACT

This article presents recent advancements in the development of flexible piezoresistive strain sensors based on carbon nanotubes (CNTs)–polymer composites, with particular attention to their electromechanical properties. Various fabrication approaches and material preparation of CNTs–polymer composites with improved piezoresistive performance are introduced. Moreover, the article presents the working principle of the piezoresistive sensors in terms of the tunneling effect and disconnection-reconnection mechanism. The sensing performances of recently reported applications are studied. This work also reveals that the CNTs–polymer composites have great potential for flexible, skin-mountable, and wearable electronics applications. Finally, possible challenges for the future developments of CNTs–polymer composites are discussed.

KEYWORDS

CNT Strain sensor Polymer sensor

Citation status

This is the result of checking the information with the same ISSN, publication year, volume, and start page between the WoS and the KCI journals. (as of 2024-07-26)

Total Citation Counts(KCI+WOS) (18) This is the number of times that the duplicate count has been removed by comparing the citation list of WoS and KCI.

Scopus Citation Counts (23) This is the result of checking the information with the same ISSN, publication year, volume, and start page between articles in KCI and the SCOPUS journals. (as of 2024-10-01)

* References for papers published after 2023 are currently being built.

[journal] Gao L / 2019 / All paper-based flexible and wearable piezoresistive pressure sensor / ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 11(28) : 25034~25042

[journal] Sencadas V / 2020 / Environmentally Friendly and Biodegradable Ultrasensitive Piezoresistive Sensors for Wearable Electronics Applications / ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 12(7) : 8761~8772

[journal] Chen Q / 2018 / Facile fabrication and performance of robust polymer/carbon nanotube coated spandex fibers for strain sensing / Compos A Appl Sci Manuf 112 : 186~196

[journal] Yi Y / 2019 / A low-cost strain gauge displacement sensor fabricated via shadow mask printing / Sensors 19(21) : 4713~

[journal] Zhang X / 2021 / High-performance flexible strain sensors based on biaxially stretched conductive polymer composites with carbon nanotubes immobilized on reduced graphene oxide / Compos Part A : Appl Sci Manuf 151 : 106665~

[journal] Yi Y / 2021 / An electrochemically actuated drug delivery device with in-situ dosage sensing / Smart Mater Struct 30(5) : 055003~

[journal] Iijima S / 1991 / Helical microtubules of graphitic carbon / Nature 354(6348) : 56~58

[journal] Iijima S / 1993 / Single-shell carbon nanotubes of 1-nm diameter / Nature 363(6430) : 603~605

[journal] Bethune D / 1993 / Cobalt-catalysed growth of carbon nanotubes with single-atomic-layer walls / Nature 363(6430) : 605~607

[journal] Eshkalak SK / 2017 / A review on inkjet printing of CNT composites for smart applications / Appl Mater Today 9 : 372~386

[journal] Amjadi M / 2016 / Stretchable, skin-mountable, and wearable strain sensors and their potential applications : a review / Adv Funct Mater 26(11) : 1678~1698

[journal] Berber S / 2000 / Unusually high thermal conductivity of carbon nanotubes / Phys Rev Lett 84(20) : 4613~

[journal] Troiani H / 2003 / Direct observation of the mechanical properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes and their junctions at the atomic level / Nano Lett 3(6) : 751~755

[journal] Balandin AA / 2011 / Thermal properties of graphene and nanostructured carbon materials / Nat Mater 10(8) : 569~581

[journal] Lee C / 2008 / Measurement of the elastic properties and intrinsic strength of monolayer graphene / Science 321(5887) : 385~388

[journal] Klemens P / 1994 / Thermal conductivity of graphite in the basal plane / Carbon 32(4) : 735~741

[journal] Zhang Y / 2011 / Enhanced thermal conductivity in copper matrix composites reinforced with titanium-coated diamond particles / Script Mater 65(12) : 1097~1100

[book] Powell R / 1966 / Thermal conductivity of selected materials. Vol. 8 / US Department of Commerce, National Bureau of Standards

[journal] Gau C / 2009 / Piezoresistive characteristics of MWNT nanocomposites and fabrication as a polymer pressure sensor / Nanotechnology 20(18) : 185503~

[journal] Kang JH / 2009 / Piezoresistive characteristics of single wall carbon nanotube/polyimide nanocomposites / J Polym Sci, Part B : Polym Phys 47(10) : 994~1003

[journal] Hu N / 2011 / Piezoresistive strain sensors made from carbon nanotubes based polymer nanocomposites / Sensors 11(11) : 10691~10723

[journal] Obitayo W / 2012 / A review: carbon nanotube-based piezoresistive strain sensors / J Sens

[journal] Hu N / 2008 / Tunneling effect in a polymer/carbon nanotube nanocomposite strain sensor / Acta Mater 56(13) : 2929~2936

[journal] Wang L / 2012 / A review for conductive polymer piezoresistive composites and a development of a compliant pressure transducer / IEEE Trans Instrum Meas 62(2) : 495~502

[journal] Sun X / 2018 / A highly-sensitive flexible tactile sensor array utilizing piezoresistive carbon nanotube–polydimethylsiloxane composite / J Micromech Microeng 28(10) : 105011~

[journal] Can-Ortiz A / 2019 / Electrical characterization of carbon-based fibers and their application for sensing relaxation-induced piezoresistivity in polymer composites / Carbon 145 : 119~130

[journal] Kingston C / 2014 / Release characteristics of selected carbon nanotube polymer composites / Carbon 68 : 33~57

[journal] Arash B / 2014 / Mechanical properties of carbon nanotube/polymer composites / Sci Rep 4 : 6479~

[journal] Benson J / 2013 / Multifunctional CNT–polymer composites for ultra-tough structural supercapacitors and desalination devices / Adv Mater 25(45) : 6625~6632

[journal] Dalmas F / 2005 / Multiwalled carbon nanotube/polymer nanocomposites : processing and properties / J Polym Sci Part B : Polym Phys 43(10) : 1186~1197

[journal] Dufresne A / 2002 / Processing and characterization of carbon nanotube/poly(styrene-co-butyl acrylate)nanocomposites / J Mater Sci 37(18) : 3915~3923

[journal] Xiang D / 2021 / 3D-printed flexible piezoresistive sensors for stretching and out-of-plane forces / Macromol Mater Eng 2021 : 2100437~

[journal] Thostenson ET / 2002 / Aligned multi-walled carbon nanotube-reinforced composites : processing and mechanical characterization / J Phys D Appl Phys 35(16) : L77~

[journal] Meincke O / 2004 / Mechanical properties and electrical conductivity of carbon-nanotube filled polyamide-6 and its blends with acrylonitrile/butadiene/styrene / Polymer 45(3) : 739~748

[journal] Sandler J / 2004 / A comparative study of melt spun polyamide-12 fibres reinforced with carbon nanotubes and nanofibres / Polymer 45(6) : 2001~2015

[journal] Andrews R / 2002 / Multiwall carbon nanotubes : synthesis and application / Acc Chem Res 35(12) : 1008~1017

[journal] Velasco-Santos C / 2003 / Improvement of thermal and mechanical properties of carbon nanotube composites through chemical functionalization / Chem Mater 15(23) : 4470~4475

[journal] Zhao C / 2005 / Synthesis and characterization of multiwalled carbon nanotubes reinforced polyamide 6 via in situ polymerization / Polymer 46(14) : 5125~5132

[journal] Putz KW / 2004 / Elastic modulus of single-walled carbon nanotube/poly(methyl methacrylate)nanocomposites / J Polym Sci, Part B : Polym Phys 42(12) : 2286~2293

[journal] Byrne MT / 2010 / Recent advances in research on carbon nanotube–polymer composites / Adv Mater 22(15) : 1672~1688

[journal] Coleman JN / 2006 / Small but strong : a review of the mechanical properties of carbon nanotube–polymer composites / Carbon 44(9) : 1624~1652

[journal] Coleman JN / 2006 / Mechanical reinforcement of polymers using carbon nanotubes / Adv Mater 18(6) : 689~706

[journal] Mamedov AA / 2002 / Molecular design of strong singlewall carbon nanotube/polyelectrolyte multilayer composites / Nat Mater 1(3) : 190~194

[journal] Olek M / 2004 / Layer-by-layer assembled composites from multiwall carbon nanotubes with different morphologies / Nano Lett 4(10) : 1889~1895

[journal] O’Connor I / 2009 / High-strength, high-toughness composite fibers by swelling Kevlar in nanotube suspensions / Small 5(4) : 466~469

[journal] O’Connor I / 2009 / Development of transparent, conducting composites by surface infiltration of nanotubes into commercial polymer films / Carbon 47(8) : 1983~1988

[journal] Endo M / 2005 / ‘Buckypaper’from coaxial nanotubes / Nature 433(7025) : 476~476

[journal] Wang D / 2008 / Highly oriented carbon nanotube papers made of aligned carbon nanotubes / Nanotechnology 19(7) : 075609~

[journal] Zhou Y / 2006 / A method of printing carbon nanotube thin films / Appl Phys Lett 88(12) : 123109~

[journal] Berhan L / 2004 / Mechanical properties of nanotube sheets : Alterations in joint morphology and achievable moduli in manufacturable materials / J Appl Phys 95(8) : 4335~4345

[journal] Chae HG / 2005 / A comparison of reinforcement efficiency of various types of carbon nanotubes in polyacrylonitrile fiber / Polymer 46(24) : 10925~10935

[journal] Mai F / 2010 / Superior reinforcement in melt-spun polyethylene/multiwalled carbon nanotube fiber through formation of a shish-kebab structure / J Phys Chem B 114(33) : 10693~10702

[journal] Mercader C / 2012 / Scalable process for the spinning of PVA–carbon nanotube composite fibers / J Appl Polym Sci 125(S1) : E191~E196

[journal] Miaudet P / 2007 / Thermo-electrical properties of PVA–nanotube composite fibers / Polymer 48(14) : 4068~4074

[journal] Scaffaro R / 2012 / High performance PA6/CNTs nanohybrid fibers prepared in the melt / Compos Sci Technol 72(15) : 1918~1923

[journal] Zeng J / 2004 / Processing and properties of poly(methyl methacrylate)/carbon nanofiber composites / Compos B Eng 35(3) : 245~249

[journal] Anand KA / 2010 / PET-SWNT nanocomposite fibers through melt spinning / Int J Polym Mater 59(6) : 438~449

[journal] Young-Seak Lee / 2007 / Characteristics of Pitch-based Carbon Fibers Containing Multi-wall Carbon Nanotubes / Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry / 한국공업화학회 13(5) : 757~763

[journal] Andrews R / 1999 / Nanotube composite carbon fibers / Appl Phys Lett 75(9) : 1329~1331

[journal] Mottaghitalab V / 2005 / The influence of carbon nanotubes on mechanical and electrical properties of polyaniline fibers / Synth Met 152(1–3) : 77~80

[journal] Jose MV / 2007 / Polypropylene/carbon nanotube nanocomposite fibers : process–morphology–property relationships / J Appl Polym Sci 103(6) : 3844~3850

[journal] Teng N-Y / 2013 / Incorporation of multiwalled carbon nanotubes into electrospun softwood Kraft lignin-based fibers / J Wood Chem Technol 33(4) : 299~316

[journal] Jain R / 2010 / Processing, structure and properties of poly(ether ketone)grafted few wall carbon nanotube composite fibers / Polymer 51(17) : 3940~3947

[journal] Muñoz E / 2005 / Highly conducting carbon nanotube/polyethyleneimine composite fibers / Adv Mater 17(8) : 1064~1067

[journal] Khan WS / 2013 / Electrical and thermal characterization of electrospun PVP nanocomposite fibers / J Nanomater

[journal] Siochi EJ / 2004 / Melt processing of SWCNT-polyimide nanocomposite fibers / Compos B Eng 35(5) : 439~446

[journal] Saligheh O / 2013 / The effect of multi-walled carbon nanotubes on morphology, crystallinity and mechanical properties of PBT/MWCNT composite nanofibers / J Polym Res 20(2) : 1~6

[journal] Soroudi A / 2010 / Melt blending of carbon nanotubes/polyaniline/polypropylene compounds and their melt spinning to conductive fibres / Synth Met 160(11–12) : 1143~1147

[journal] Hooshmand S / 2011 / Electro-conductive composite fibers by melt spinning of polypropylene/polyamide/carbon nanotubes / Synth Met 161(15–16) : 1731~1737

[journal] Xiang D / 2020 / Synergistic effects of hybrid conductive nanofillers on the performance of 3D printed highly elastic strain sensors / Compos Part A : Appl Sci Manuf 129 : 105730~

[journal] Cheng H / 2019 / Synergetic effect of Fe3O4 nanoparticles and carbon on flexible poly(vinylidence fluoride)based films with higher heat dissipation to improve electromagnetic shielding / Compos A Appl Sci Manuf 121 : 139~148

[journal] Sohn K-S / 2016 / A mechanoluminescent ZnS : Cu/rhodamine/SiO2/PDMS and piezoresistive CNT/PDMS hybrid sensor : red-light emission and a standardized strain quantification / ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 8(50) : 34777~34783

[journal] Yoon SG / 2017 / Microfluidic capacitive sensors with ionic liquid electrodes and CNT/PDMS nanocomposites for simultaneous sensing of pressure and temperature / J Mater Chem C 5(8) : 1910~1919

[journal] Lai Y-T / 2011 / A novel CNT-PDMSbased tactile sensing array with resistivity retaining and recovering by using dielectrophoresis effect / J Microelectromech Syst 21(1) : 217~223

[journal] Wu L / 2019 / Screen-printed flexible temperature sensor based on FG/CNT/PDMS composite with constant TCR / J Mater Sci : Mater Electron 30(10) : 9593~9601

[journal] Du J / 2020 / Optimized CNT-PDMS flexible composite for attachable health-care device / Sensors 20(16) : 4523~

[journal] Le H / 2014 / The role of linked phospholipids in the rubberfiller interaction in carbon nanotube(CNT)filled natural rubber(NR)composites / Polymer 55(18) : 4738~4747

[journal] Thomas PS / 2012 / Electrical properties of natural rubber nanocomposites : effect of 1-octadecanol functionalization of carbon nanotubes / J Mater Sci 47(7) : 3344~3349

[journal] Le H / 2012 / Kinetics of filler wetting and dispersion in carbon nanotube/rubber composites / Carbon 50(12) : 4543~4556

[journal] Jung S / 2014 / Reverse-micelle-induced porous pressuresensitive rubber for wearable human–machine interfaces / Adv Mater 26(28) : 4825~4830

[journal] Xu M / 2021 / Breathable, degradable piezoresistive skin sensor based on a sandwich structure for high-performance pressure detection / Adv Electron Mater 7(10) : 2100368~

[journal] Ellingford C / 2019 / Electrical dual-percolation in MWCNTs/SBS/PVDF based thermoplastic elastomer(TPE)composites and the effect of mechanical stretching / Eur Polymer J 112 : 504~514

[journal] Wang S / 2021 / In situ and intraoperative detection of the ureter injury using a highly sensitive piezoresistive sensor with a tunable porous structure / ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 13(18) : 21669~21679

[journal] Wang L / 2020 / Highly electrically conductive polymer composite with a novel fiber-based segregated structure / J Mater Sci 55(25) : 11727~11738

[journal] Zhang X / 2020 / Flexible and high-performance piezoresistive strain sensors based on carbon nanoparticles@ polyurethane sponges / Compos Sci Technol 200 : 108437~

[journal] Chen X / 2022 / 3D printed high-performance spider web-like flexible strain sensors with directional strain recognition based on conductive polymer composites / Mater Lett 306 : 130935~

[journal] Chen S / 2021 / Flexible Piezoresistive Three-Dimensional Force Sensor Based on Interlocked Structures / Sens Actuat A : Phys 2021 : 112857~

[journal] Tran AV / 2018 / Mechanical structural design of a piezoresistive pressure sensor for low-pressure measurement : a computational analysis by increases in the sensor sensitivity / Sensors 18(7) : 2023~

[journal] Zhang P / 2019 / Flexible piezoresistive sensor with the microarray structure based on self-assembly of multi-walled carbon nanotubes / Sensors 19(22) : 4985~

[journal] Yang Q / 2020 / Performance evaluation of bitumen with a homogeneous dispersion of carbon nanotubes / Carbon 158 : 465~471

[journal] Simmons JG / 1963 / Low-voltage current-voltage relationship of tunnel junctions / J Appl Phys 34(1) : 238~239

[journal] Fisher J / 1961 / Tunneling through thin insulating layers / J Appl Phys 32(2) : 172~177

[journal] Wang L / 2012 / Relation between repeated uniaxial compressive pressure and electrical resistance of carbon nanotube filled silicone rubber composite / Compos A Appl Sci Manuf 43(2) : 268~274

[journal] Wang Z / 2014 / An investigation on piezoresistive behavior of carbon nanotube/polymer composites : II. Positive piezoresistive effect / Nanotechnology 25(28) : 285502~

[journal] Luheng W / 2009 / Influence of carbon black concentration on piezoresistivity for carbon-black-filled silicone rubber composite / Carbon 47(14) : 3151~3157

[journal] Yi Y / 2020 / A new approach for an ultrathin piezoresistive sensor based on solidified carbon ink fil m / J Mater Sci 2020 : 1~8

[journal] Shindo Y / 2012 / Electrical resistance change and crack behavior in carbon nanotube/polymer composites under tensile loading / Compos B Eng 43(1) : 39~43

[journal] Sekitani T / 2010 / Stretchable, large-area organic electronics / Adv Mater 22(20) : 2228~2246

[journal] Wang X / 2014 / Silk-molded flexible, ultrasensitive, and highly stable electronic skin for monitoring human physiological signals / Adv Mater 26(9) : 1336~1342

[journal] Yi Y / 2019 / Wirelessly powered resonantheating stent system : design, prototyping, and optimization / IEEE Trans Antennas Propag 68(1) : 482~490

[journal] Yi Y / 2019 / Wireless hyperthermia stent system for restenosis treatment and testing with swine model / IEEE Trans Biomed Eng 67(4) : 1097~1104

[journal] Yi Y / 2019 / Wirelessly Heating Stents via Radiofrequency Resonance toward Enabling Endovascular Hyperthermia / Adv Healthcare Mater 8(22) : 1900708~

[journal] Loh KJ / 2007 / Multifunctional layer-by-layer carbon nanotube–polyelectrolyte thin films for strain and corrosion sensing / Smart Mater Struct 16(2) : 429~

[journal] Kang I / 2006 / A carbon nanotube strain sensor for structural health monitoring / Smart Mater Struct 15(3) : 737~

KJCKorea
Journal Central

Carbon Letters 2023 KCI Impact Factor : 1.35 KCI-WoS Impact Factor : 6.04

Flexible piezoresistive strain sensor based on CNTs–polymer composites: a brief review

ABSTRACT

KEYWORDS

Citation status

This is the result of checking the information with the same ISSN, publication year, volume, and start page between the WoS and the KCI journals. (as of 2024-07-26)

Total Citation Counts(KCI+WOS) (18) This is the number of times that the duplicate count has been removed by comparing the citation list of WoS and KCI.

Scopus Citation Counts (23) This is the result of checking the information with the same ISSN, publication year, volume, and start page between articles in KCI and the SCOPUS journals. (as of 2024-10-01)

* References for papers published after 2023 are currently being built.

Carbon Letters 2023 KCI Impact Factor : 1.35 KCI-WoS Impact Factor : 6.04

Flexible piezoresistive strain sensor based on CNTs–polymer composites: a brief review

ABSTRACT

KEYWORDS

Statistics

Tools

Issue List

Citation status

KCI Citation Counts (1)

WoS Citation Counts (17) This is the result of checking the information with the same ISSN, publication year, volume, and start page between the WoS and the KCI journals. (as of 2024-07-26)

Total Citation Counts(KCI+WOS) (18) This is the number of times that the duplicate count has been removed by comparing the citation list of WoS and KCI.

Scopus Citation Counts (23) This is the result of checking the information with the same ISSN, publication year, volume, and start page between articles in KCI and the SCOPUS journals. (as of 2024-10-01)

REFERENCES (104) * References for papers published after 2023 are currently being built.

Search PDF

Citation

This is the result of checking the information with the same ISSN, publication year, volume, and start page between the WoS and the KCI journals. (as of 2024-07-26)

* References for papers published after 2023 are currently being built.