A Flexible Reduced Graphene Oxide Field‐Effect Transistor for Ultrasensitive Strain Sensing

Abstract

A new kind of flexible strain sensor based on a reduced graphene oxide field‐effect transistor (rGO FET) with ultrasensitivity, stability, and repeatability for the detection of tensile and compressive strains is demonstrated. The novelty of the rGO FET strain sensor is the incorporation of a rGO channel as a sensing layer in which the electrical resistance can be greatly modified upon application of an extremely low level of strain resulting in an intrinsically amplified sensing signal. The rGO FET device is ultrasensitive to extremely low strain levels, as low as 0.02%. Due to weak coupling between adjacent nanosheets, therefore, upon applying small levels of strain into the rGO thin film, a modulation of the internanosheet resistance (R inter ) is expected, inducing a large change in the transconductance of the rGO FET. Using a simple printing and self‐assembly process, the facile fabrication of an rGO FET array over a large area is also demonstrated. In addition, the device can detect small and rapid physical movements of the human body.