Characterization of inkjet printed silver-graphene films for health monitoring applications

Digital manufacturing-based flexible and wearable strain sensors have gained much interest. Herein, inkjet-printed graphene/Ag nanoparticle piezoresistive strain sensors were experimentally investigated for human health monitoring applications. Initially, rectangular patterns were printed on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate, and based on rectangular patterns dimensions, meander patterns design was implemented for sensing applications. Further, characterization and testing of samples were performed. The current-voltage characterization shows the ohmic behavior of hybrid ink-printed samples. The tensile test revealed sensitivity of printed samples fluctuates for applied strain range from 0.01-0.1 percent. However, the change in resistance measured during applied strain is diminutive. Meander pattern sensors demonstrated the ability to detect elbow joint movement and respiratory rate. This inkjet-printed, low-cost, flexible, and wearable sensor has the potential to monitor respiratory rate and bone joint movements continuously and can be explored for biocompatible health applications.