High-Performance Auxetic Bilayer Conductive Mesh-Based Multi-Material Integrated Stretchable Strain Sensors

Hybrid-Microstructure-Based Soft Network Materials with Independent Tunability of Mechanical Properties over Large Deformations

Introducing auxetic metamaterials into stretchable electronics shows promising prospects for enhancing the performance and innovating the functionalities of various devices, such as stretchable strain sensors. Nevertheless, most existing auxetics fail to meet the requirement of stretchable electronics, which typically include high mechanical flexibility and stable Poisson's ratio over large deformations. Moreover, despite being highly advantageous for application in diverse load-bearing conditions, achieving tunability of J-shaped stress-strain response independent of negative Poisson's ratio remains a significant challenge. This paper introduces a class of hybrid-microstructure-based soft network materials (HMSNMs) consisting of different types of microstructures along the loading and transverse directions. The J-shaped stress-strain curve and nonlinear Poisson's ratio for HMSNMs can be tuned independently of each other. The HMSNM provides much higher strength than the corresponding existing metamaterial while offering a nearly stable negative Poisson's ratio over large strains. Both mechanical properties under infinitesimal and large deformations can be well-tuned by geometric parameters. Fascinating functionalities such as shape programming and stress regulation are achieved by integrating a set of HMSNMs in series/parallel configurations. A stretchable LED-integrated display capable of displaying dynamic images without distortion under uniaxial stretching serves as a demonstrative application.

Gelatin-Based Metamaterial Hydrogel Films with High Conformality for Ultra-Soft Tissue Monitoring

Implantable hydrogel-based bioelectronics (IHB) can precisely monitor human health and diagnose diseases. However, achieving biodegradability, biocompatibility, and high conformality with soft tissues poses significant challenges for IHB. Gelatin is the most suitable candidate for IHB since it is a collagen hydrolysate and a substantial part of the extracellular matrix found naturally in most tissues. This study used 3D printing ultrafine fiber networks with metamaterial design to embed into ultra-low elastic modulus hydrogel to create a novel gelatin-based conductive film (GCF) with mechanical programmability. The regulation of GCF nearly covers soft tissue mechanics, an elastic modulus from 20 to 420 kPa, and a Poisson's ratio from - 0.25 to 0.52. The negative Poisson's ratio promotes conformality with soft tissues to improve the efficiency of biological interfaces. The GCF can monitor heartbeat signals and respiratory rate by determining cardiac deformation due to its high conformability. Notably, the gelatin characteristics of the biodegradable GCF enable the sensor to monitor and support tissue restoration. The GCF metamaterial design offers a unique idea for bioelectronics to develop implantable sensors that integrate monitoring and tissue repair and a customized method for endowing implanted sensors to be highly conformal with soft tissues.

Recent advances of additively manufactured noninvasive kinematic biosensors

The necessity of reliable measurement data assessment in the realm of human life has experienced exponential growth due to its extensive utilization in health monitoring, rehabilitation, surgery, and long-term treatment. As a result, the significance of kinematic biosensors has substantially increased across various domains, including wearable devices, human-machine interaction, and bioengineering. Traditionally, the fabrication of skin-mounted biosensors involved complex and costly processes such as lithography and deposition, which required extensive preparation. However, the advent of additive manufacturing has revolutionized biosensor production by facilitating customized manufacturing, expedited processes, and streamlined fabrication. AM technology enables the development of highly sensitive biosensors capable of measuring a wide range of kinematic signals while maintaining a low-cost aspect. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of state-of-the-art noninvasive kinematic biosensors created using diverse AM technologies. The detailed development process and the specifics of different types of kinematic biosensors are also discussed. Unlike previous review articles that primarily focused on the applications of additively manufactured sensors based on their sensing data, this article adopts a unique approach by categorizing and describing their applications according to their sensing frequencies. Although AM technology has opened new possibilities for biosensor fabrication, the field still faces several challenges that need to be addressed. Consequently, this paper also outlines these challenges and provides an overview of future applications in the field. This review article offers researchers in academia and industry a comprehensive overview of the innovative opportunities presented by kinematic biosensors fabricated through additive manufacturing technologies.

Omnidirectional Configuration of Stretchable Strain Sensor Enabled by the Strain Engineering with Chiral Auxetic Metamaterial

An electromechanical interface plays a pivotal role in determining the performance of a stretchable strain sensor. The intrinsic mechanical property of the elastomer substrate prevents the efficient modulation of the electromechanical interface, which limits the further evolution of a stretchable strain sensor. In this study, a chiral auxetic metamaterial (CAM) is incorporated into the elastomer substrate of a stretchable strain sensor to override the deformation behavior of the pristine device and regulate the device performance. The tunable isotropic Poisson's ratio (from 0.37 to -0.25) achieved by the combination of CAM and elastomer substrate endows the stretchable strain sensor with significantly enhanced sensitivity (53-fold improvement) and excellent omnidirectional sensing ability. The regulation mechanism associated with crack propagation on the deformed substrate is also revealed with finite element simulations and experiments. The demonstration of on-body monitoring of human physiological signals and a smart training assistant for trampoline gymnastics with the CAM-incorporated strain sensor further illustrates the benefits of omnidirectionally enhanced performance.

Sensors Based on Auxetic Materials and Structures: A Review

Auxetic materials exhibit a negative Poisson's ratio under tension or compression, and such counter-intuitive behavior leads to enhanced mechanical properties such as shear resistance, impact resistance, and shape adaptability. Auxetic materials with these excellent properties show great potential applications in personal protection, medical health, sensing equipment, and other fields. However, there are still many limitations in them, from laboratory research to real applications. There have been many reported studies applying auxetic materials or structures to the development of sensing devices in anticipation of improving sensitivity. This review mainly focuses on the use of auxetic materials or auxetic structures in sensors, providing a broad review of auxetic-based sensing devices. The material selection, structure design, preparation method, sensing mechanism, and sensing performance are introduced. In addition, we explore the relationship between the auxetic mechanism and the sensing performance and summarize how the auxetic behavior enhances the sensitivity. Furthermore, potential applications of sensors based on the auxetic mechanism are discussed, and the remaining challenges and future research directions are suggested. This review may help to promote further research and application of auxetic sensing devices.

Three-Dimensionally Printed Expandable Structural Electronics Via Multi-Material Printing Room-Temperature-Vulcanizing (RTV) Silicone/Silver Flake Composite and RTV

Three-dimensional (3D) printing has various applications in many fields, such as soft electronics, robotic systems, biomedical implants, and the recycling of thermoplastic composite materials. Three-dimensional printing, which was only previously available for prototyping, is currently evolving into a technology that can be utilized by integrating various materials into customized structures in a single step. Owing to the aforementioned advantages, multi-functional 3D objects or multi-material-designed 3D patterns can be fabricated. In this study, we designed and fabricated 3D-printed expandable structural electronics in a substrateless auxetic pattern that can be adapted to multi-dimensional deformation. The printability and electrical conductivity of a stretchable conductor (Ag-RTV composite) were optimized by incorporating a lubricant. The Ag-RTV and RTV were printed in the form of conducting voxels and frame voxels through multi-nozzle printing and were arranged in a negative Poisson's ratio pattern with a missing rib structure, to realize an expandable passive component. In addition, the expandable structural electronics were embedded in a soft actuator via one-step printing, confirming the possibility of fabricating stable interconnections in expanding deformation via a missing rib pattern.

Preparation of carbon black/silicone rubber composites with large-area-homogeneous-low electrical-resistance used as electroplating matrix

Carbon black/silicone rubber composites with large-area-homogeneous-low electrical-resistance used as electroplating matrix and its fine electro-deposited Ni layer.