Wearable strain sensors are widely used in human movement monitoring, but such electronic devices may lose their effectiveness in humid environments, so it is still a great challenge to monitor human movement stably under water for a long time. Recently, researchers from Fuzhou University and Yonsei University in South Korea prepared a super-hydrophobic, electrically conductive strain sensor for knitted polyester fabric by dipping graphene oxide (GO) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) micro-nanoparticles.
The researchers studied the superhydrophobicity, electrical conductivity and other related physical properties of the strain sensor. In order to explore the durability during loading and unloading, the water contact Angle of the sample at different elongation and bending angles was measured. Among them, the water contact Angle of the sample is 156°, which remains above 150° after deformation (stretching to 2 times the original length or bending to 80°). In addition, after 300 wear cycles and 20 accelerated washing cycles, the sample still showed satisfactory mechanical stability in terms of superhydrophobicity and conductivity.
In terms of sensing performance, the strain sensor shows rapid and obvious response to different deformations such as water vibration, underwater finger bending and droplet impact.
Strain sensors are used for drowning detection
To further investigate the use of strain sensors in practical applications, the researchers integrated the fibre-based strain sensor into a self-designed wireless Bluetooth system that can detect drowning (due to lack of movement) and issue alerts. Thanks to the combination of superhydrophobicity and electrical conductivity, as well as the wearability and stretching properties of knitted polyester fabrics, the Bluetooth-connected wireless strain sensor can remotely monitor water movements and can sound an alarm in the event of drowning.
Strain sensor for drowning detection The work was published under the title "A Breathable Knitted Fabric-Based Smart System with Enhanced Superhydrophobicity for Drowning Alarming" in ACS On the NANO.
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