Large‐Area Ultrathin Graphene Films by Single‐Step Marangoni Self‐Assembly for Highly Sensitive Strain Sensing Application

TLDR

Graphene is a promising material for flexible, highly sensitive strain sensors demanded by wearable devices, yet its low sensitivity and complex processing hinder practical deployment. The study proposes an environmentally friendly, cost‑effective method to fabricate large‑area ultrathin graphene films for highly sensitive flexible strain sensors. The films are rapidly assembled at the liquid/air interface via the Marangoni effect, enabling scalable production. The resulting sensors achieve an unprecedented gauge factor of 1037 at 2 % strain, the highest reported for graphene platelets at such small deformation, demonstrating a simple, scalable fabrication route suitable for electronic skin, wearable sensors, and health monitoring.

Abstract

Promoted by the demand for wearable devices, graphene has been proved to be a promising material for potential applications in flexible and highly sensitive strain sensors. However, low sensitivity and complex processing of graphene retard the development toward the practical applications. Here, an environment‐friendly and cost‐effective method to fabricate large‐area ultrathin graphene films is proposed for highly sensitive flexible strain sensor. The assembled graphene films are derived rapidly at the liquid/air interface by Marangoni effect and the area can be scaled up. These graphene‐based strain sensors exhibit extremely high sensitivity with gauge factor of 1037 at 2% strain, which represents the highest value for graphene platelets at this small deformation so far. This simple fabrication for strain sensors with highly sensitive performance of strain sensor makes it a novel approach to applications in electronic skin, wearable sensors, and health monitoring platforms.