Enhanced Performance of a Soft Strain Sensor by Combining Microcracks with Wrinkled Structures

Abstract

The growing prominence of wearable electronics has paved the way toward stretchable and flexible strain sensors. Stress signals extracted from the human body are crucial parameters to monitor health conditions. High‐sensitivity shape‐adaptive strain sensors have become the main challenge considering the curvilinear surfaces of the practical applications. Herein, a highly sensitive performance‐enhanced stretchable strain sensor based on the combination of a wrinkled structure and microcracks is reported on. The strain sensor is fabricated by transfer printing gold thin films with controllable microcracks onto prestretched soft substrates. Maximum strain of 40% and a maximum gauge factor of 11.54 are demonstrated using the prototype device. More importantly, the device shows excellent time response characteristics and stable performance in the subsequent stability test. It is proved that the fabrication method to generate the mixed microcracks and wrinkled structure is efficient and the corresponding device is an excellent stretchable strain sensor. The device is an attractive candidate that meets the needs of human health monitoring.