Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-Based Flexible Resistive Strain Sensors for Wearable Applications

• Published in: Applied sciences 2018-02, Vol.8 (3), p.345
• Main Authors: Chen, Jing, Zheng, Jiahong, Gao, Qinwu, Zhang, Jinjie, Zhang, Jinyong, Omisore, Olatunji, Wang, Lei, Li, Hui
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Carbon black; Durability; flexible substrate; Graphene; Linearity; Methods; Nanocomposites; Nanowires; Noise; Noise sensitivity; PDMS; Physiology; Polydimethylsiloxane; Polyethylene terephthalate; Sensors; Silicone resins; Silver; Skin; Strain gauges; strain sensors; Stretchability; wearable electronics
• ISSN: 2076-3417; 2076-3417
• DOI: 10.3390/app8030345

There is growing attention and rapid development on flexible electronic devices with electronic materials and sensing technology innovations. In particular, strain sensors with high elasticity and stretchability are needed for several potential applications including human entertainment technology, human–machine interface, personal healthcare, and sports performance monitoring, etc. This article presents recent advancements in the development of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based flexible resistive strain sensors for wearable applications. First of all, the article shows that PDMS-based stretchable resistive strain sensors are successfully fabricated by different methods, such as the filtration method, printing technology, micromolding method, coating techniques, and liquid phase mixing. Next, strain sensing performances including stretchability, gauge factor, linearity, and durability are comprehensively demonstrated and compared. Finally, potential applications of PDMS-based flexible resistive strain sensors are also discussed. This review indicates that the era of wearable intelligent electronic systems has arrived.