J. Mater. Sci. Technol. ›› 2019, Vol. 35 ›› Issue (1): 176-180.DOI: 10.1016/j.jmst.2018.09.006

• Orginal Article • Previous Articles     Next Articles

A flexible conductive hybrid elastomer for high-precision stress/strain and humidity detection

Haoran Liua, Zhenyi Zhangb, Jun Gea, Xiao Lina, Xinye Nicd*(), Huilin Yangad, Lei Yangd*()   

  1. aOrthopaedic Institute, Department of Orthopaedics, Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, China
    bDivision of Environmental Technology, INET, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
    cSecond People’s Hospital of Changzhou, Nanjing Medical University, Changzhou 213003, China;
    dInternational Research Center for Translational Orthopaedics (IRCTO), Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, China
  • Received:2018-04-24 Revised:2018-05-27 Accepted:2018-06-04 Online:2019-01-04 Published:2019-01-15
  • Contact: Ni Xinye,Yang Lei

Abstract:

Flexible and environment-responsive materials are essential for a large number of applications from artificial skin to wearable devices. The present study develops a flexible, ultra-low cost conductive hybrid elastomer (CHE), which possesses high responsive capabilities to stress/strain and humidity. CHE was composed of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and starch hydrogel (SH), enabling great elasticity (56?kPa), high conductivity (10-2 S/m) and high sensitivity to external stimuli (gauge factor of CHE under stress and strain are 0.71 and 2.22, respectively, and sensitivity to humidity is 1.2?×?10-6 S/m per RH%). These properties render CHE a promising candidate for artificial skin and wearable electronics applications of continuously monitoring environmental information.

Key words: Conductive composites, Electrical properties, Mechanical properties, Moisture, Hybrid Elastomer