Flexible, Degradable, and Cost-Effective Strain Sensor Fabricated by a Scalable Papermaking Procedure

Flexible strain sensors (FSSs) are essential components in intelligent systems, especially in soft robots, human sport monitoring, ect., but their scalable preparation remains a challenge. In this work, we first proposed and demonstrated a strategy to prepare FSS with a scalable and cost-effective papermaking procedure. Cellulose fibers from waste papers and conductive graphite were mixed and subject to a paper former (papermaking machine in laboratory), producing a strain sensitive paper with diameter of 20 cm in 10 min. With the scrips from the strain sensitive paper, the strain sensor was assembled showing good sensing performance for both bending (gauge factor (GF) = 27, response time of 360 ms) and twisting (GF = 26.5, response time of 440 ms) strains. It can be used in movement detections of soft matters (such as a plastic ruler), elbow joints of a puppet, and human fingers. The cost of the sensor was calculated as low as $0.00013, and the strain sensitive paper can be degraded in around 1 min in water under stirring. Furthermore, the strategy can be expanded to the sensor based on carbon black (CB), indicating a universality, which may pave a way for developing more intelligent materials and devices.