Highly stretchable GR/TPU strain sensor based on one-step electrospun fibrous yarns for wearable devices

Abstract

Fibrous yarn-based wearable devices have attracted increasing interest in human motion detection. However, challenges remain in the fabrication process and the sensing performance of fibrous yarns. In this work, a highly stretchable graphene (GR)/thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) strain sensor was prepared based on one-step electrospun TPU nanofibrous yarns. Owing to the electrical conductive pathways constructed by GR, the strain sensor exhibits a large strain range (>140%), a high sensitivity of 46.19, and an excellent durability after more than 10 000 stretching–releasing cycles. With these outstanding properties, textiles based on the strain sensor can be adopted for monitoring various human motions. Moreover, the precise position of an object on the textile can be accurately detected. With a safe temperature of 37.8 °C for the human skin under the maximum operating voltage, the strain sensor shows great potential for the next generation of wearable electronics.