Fabrication of curled conducting polymer microfibrous arrays via a novel electrospinning method for stretchable strain sensors

Abstract

Stretchable strain sensors based on aligned microfibrous arrays of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate)-poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PEDOT:PSS-PVP) with curled architectures have been fabricated by a novel reciprocating-type electrospinning setup with a spinneret in straightforward simple harmonic motion. The incorporation of PEDOT:PSS into PVP is confirmed by Raman spectra, which improves the room-temperature conductivity of the composite fibers (1.6 × 10(-5) S cm(-1)). Owing to the curled architectures of the as-spun fibrous polymer arrays, the sensors can be stretched reversibly with a linear elastic response to strain up to 4%, which is three times higher than that from electrospun nonwoven mats. In addition, the stretchable strain sensor with a high repeatability and durability has a gauge factor of about 360. These results may be helpful for the fabrication of stretchable devices which have potential applications in some fields such as soft robotics, elastic semiconductors, and elastic solar cells.

Electrospinning of nanofibers: Potentials and perspectives for active food packaging

“…Sun et al. () fabricated the aligned poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene)/poly(styrene sulfonate)–poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) electrospun fibers with a curled structure, which was achieved by adjusting the speed of the simple harmonic motion. Depending on the curled structure of the electrospun fibrous arrays, the fibers could be reversibly stretched with a linear elastic response to the strain up to 4%, much higher than that of electrospun nonwoven mats.…”

Recent advancements in electrospinning design for tissue engineering applications: A review

“…Researches have added a motor to apply simple harmonic motion to the spinneret during electrospinning to form tightly wound fibers. This method has been used to stretchable sensor arrays with a 360% increase in ultimate tensile strain as compared with traditional electrospun controls . Another approach to fabricate wavy fibers involves adding auxiliary electrodes or magnets across the whipping distance to alter the electric field/magnetic field.…”

Fabricated Wavy Micro/Nanofiber via Auxiliary Electrodes in Near-Field Electrospinning

“…The conditions for making these swinging patterns are reproducible, and at the same time, these uniform buckled patterns extend over millimeter distances[16].Duan et al introduced a new method to fabricate wavy fibers by implementing photolithography to generate well-defined patterns[17].In order to get fibers with specific wavy/coiled microstructures, auxiliary electric field and patterned collectors have been used to control fibers deposition process[18,19].Sun et al developed a novel electrospinning method for fabricating curled fibers, which required reciprocating-type electrospinning[20]. This method combined whipping-based electrospinning and detachment lithography to generate patterned film with high stretch ability.…”