BEIJING, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- Chinese researchers have developed a new type of porous fibers graphene to improve the sensitivity of wearable sensors.
Wearable textile strain sensors, perceiving and responding to human stimuli, are essential parts of wearable electronics. But subtle strains detection on human bodies was still limited to low sensitivity within current sensors.
The researchers from Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, prepared porous fibers made of graphene decorated with nanoballs and high gauge factors. They produced a structural design to reduce the contact area between the graphene and polymer to enhance sensitivity.
A low detection limit with only 0.01 percent strain and good durability of over 6,000 circles were obtained, according to their recent study paper published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials.
Patients with eye disease are expected to be helped by the fiber-based textile sensors which can recognize eyeball movement in real time while maintaining comfort. Wrist pulse can also be recognized by the sensors.
Moreover, by weaving such fibers, the electronic fabrics can distinguish multilocation in real time, which offers great potential for use in wearable electronics.
