Fabrication of Graphene by Electrochemical Intercalation Method and Performance of Graphene/PVA Composites as Stretchabl
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RESEARCH ARTICLE-CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
Fabrication of Graphene by Electrochemical Intercalation Method and Performance of Graphene/PVA Composites as Stretchable Strain Sensor Y. Z. N. Htwe1 · M. Mariatti1 · S. Y. Chin1 Received: 13 February 2020 / Accepted: 17 July 2020 © King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals 2020
Abstract Strain sensors fabricated from polymer and graphene composites are gaining attention due to its peculiar electrical and mechanical properties. Here, we used electrochemical intercalation method to produce graphene. Graphene/PVA composite intended for use as stretchable strain sensor was fabricated using different amounts of graphene. In addition, the effect of the applied electrochemical bias method on the properties of exfoliated graphene was investigated. Results showed that use of applied bias produced thinner graphene with low defect and better thermal stability compared to 10 V applied voltage. Notably, the electrical conductivity of the graphene obtained at 5 V applied voltage (2.53 × 10−1 S/cm) is higher than that of 10 V applied bias (6.33 × 10−2 S/cm). Significantly, incorporation of graphene produced at 5 V into PVA results in fiveorder increase in electrical conductivity of the composite film from 0.1 to 0.5 wt% graphene. In addition, the hysteresis and sensitivity performance of the sensor produced by 0.5 wt% of graphene loading is better than that of sensors with lower amount of graphene loadings. Therefore, the sensor produced by 0.5 wt% of graphene loading has a potential to be used as wearable sensor. Keywords Graphene · Electrochemical · Polymer composites · Strain sensor
1 Introduction There is an increasing interest in stretchable and wearable strain sensors due to their potential to be used in different applications such as wearable electronics, human–machine interfaces, flexible display, human motion detection and soft robotics [1]. These sensors play an important role in monitoring changes in the environment, such as stress, strain illumination, temperature and aggressive vapours. For these applications, sensors, such as electromechanical sensor, photodetectors, glucose sensor and pressure sensor, have been developed [2]. However, the performance of these devices largely depends on the properties of the sensing material used. For example, the sensing materials should exhibit characteristics such as electrical stability, good conductivity, * M. Mariatti [email protected] 1
School of Materials and Mineral Resources Engineering, University Sains Malaysia, Engineering Campus, 14300 Nibong Tebal, Penang, Malaysia
high gauge factor (GF), linearity response, good mechanical performance (stretching, bending and folding) and high strain retention ability [3]. Nanomaterials have been widely used as the sensitive component of many strain sensors, due to their good performance in the electrical fields [4]. Among the various types of nanomaterials that may be used, graphene has received enormous attention over the years [5]. Notably, graphene can respond to the mechanical st
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