Preparation of piezoresistive nano smart hybrid material based on graphene

To address the need for new smart hybrid materials, this paper presents graphene based nano composites which have piezoresistivity for strain sensor. Graphene/epoxy composites cast in a mold were fabricated to a composite strain sensor. The strain response of graphene/epoxy composites showed fairly symmetrical and reversible behavior, and the gauge factor obtained was about 11.4 within the range of 1000 micro-strain. The graphene/epoxy composite strain sensor showed much higher strain sensitivity than both carbon nanotubes (CNTs) composite strain sensors and the strain gauge made of high-quality graphene films. A contact area & resistance model of graphene was introduced to explain the higher piezoresistivity of graphene composites compared to CNTs composites. (C) 2010 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.