Fabrication of Textured Ni-Coated Carbon Tubes for a Flexible Strain Sensor: Effect of the Device Elastic Modulus on Sensor Performance

Abstract

The exploration of flexible resistive sensors with excellent performance remains a challenge. In this paper, a nickelcoated carbon tube with a textured structure was prepared as a conductive sensitive material and inserted into the poly-(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) polymer; interestingly, the sensor performance was controlled by the elastic modulus of the matrix resin. The results show that Pd 2+ may be adsorbed by the active groups on the surface of a plant fiber as a catalytic center for the reduction of Ni 2+ . After 300 °C annealing, the inner plant fiber would be carbonized and attached to the outside of the nickel tube; to be precise, the textured Ni-encapsulated C tube was fabricated successfully. It is worth noting that the C tube serves as a layer of support for the external Ni coating, providing sufficient mechanical strength. In addition, resistance sensors with different properties were prepared by controlling the elasticity modulus of the PDMS polymer by introducing different contents of curing agents. The limit uniaxial tensile strain was enhanced from 42 to 49% and sensitivity reduced from 0.2 to 2.0% with the elasticity modulus of the matrix resin increasing from 0.32 to 2.2 MPa. As expected, the sensor is obviously appropriate for the detection of elbow joints, human speaking, and human joints with the reduction of the elasticity modulus of the matrix resin. To be precise, the optimal elastic modulus of the sensor matrix resin would facilitate the improvement of its sensitivity to monitor different human behaviors.