High stretch-ability and high linearity for elastic strain sensor constructed by multiple micro-cracks and complex wrinkles

Flexible sensors have been widely studied in smart wear, human health monitoring, biomedical and other applications because of its high bio-compatibility. However, it is still a challenge to achieve high sensitivity, wide sensing range, and high stability at the same time, which limits the application of flexible sensors in many directions. In order to solve the above problems, we construct a micro-crack composite wrinkle structure enhanced fiber strain sensor using SEBS rubber elastomer as the substrate and carbon nanotube film functional materials. The micro-cracks composite wrinkle structure for carbon nanotubes (SEBS@MCW-CNT) ensures that the sensor has an ultra-wide sensing range of 0–600 %, and the impact factor reaches 1.0676 under the tension state. The wrinkle structure ensures the sensor can maintains good sensing performance after >10,000 tests, and has high linearity. The response time is 153 ms, the recovery time is 169 ms, and the hysteresis of the sensor can be ignored. At the same time, it also has the sensing performance of bending strain, which broadens the application of the sensor. Our strain sensor has promising applications in wearable electronic devices for detecting human motion.