An overview of stretchable strain sensors from conductive polymer nanocomposites

Abstract

There is a growing demand for stretchable strain sensors because of their potential applications in various emerging fields, such as human motion detection, health monitoring, wearable electronics, and soft robotic skin. Recently, strain sensors based on flexible conductive polymer composites (FCPCs) composed of conductive materials and a stretchable elastomer have received intensive attention owing to their high stretchability, good flexibility, excellent durability, tunable strain sensing behaviors, and ease of processing. Here, we systematically summarize the recent progress of stretchable strain sensors based on FCPCs. This review covers the classification and sensing mechanisms as well as the influence of multiple factors on the sensing behaviors of FCPC based strain sensors with detailed examples.