Summary
Wearable strain sensors need to be both highly sensitive and mechanically forgiving, and this study achieves that with an electrospun thermoplastic polyurethane film in which carbon black particles form a conductive network. The key variable is the rotation speed of the collector: changing it alters the three-dimensional architecture of the fibre scaffold, and with it the way the conductive particles connect and disconnect under strain. Tuning collector speed therefore becomes a direct route to tuning sensor sensitivity, without changing the material formulation at all.
Authors & Affiliations
Linari Electrospinning Systems
Linari electrospinning system with syringe pump
Both the electrospinning unit and the syringe pump came from Linari Engineering S.r.l. (Valpiana, Italy), with fibre collection at several rotating speeds - the function of the Easy Drum rotary system, supplied with the Starter Kit for aligned nanofibers.