Thermally Drawn Stretchable Electrical and Optical Fiber Sensors for Multimodal Extreme Deformation Sensing

Abstract

Abstract Highly stretchable fiber sensors have attracted significant interest recently due to their applications in wearable electronics, human–machine interfaces, and biomedical implantable devices. Here, a scalable approach for fabricating stretchable multifunctional electrical and optical fiber sensors using a thermal drawing process is reported. The fiber sensors can sustain at least 580% strain and up to 750% strain with a helix structure. The electrical fiber sensor simultaneously exhibits ultrahigh stretchability (400%), high gauge factors (≈1960), and excellent durability during 1000 stretching and bending cycles. It is also shown that the stretchable step‐index optical fibers facilitate detection of bending and stretching deformation through changes in the light transmission. By combining both electrical and optical detection schemes, multifunctional fibers can be used for quantifying and distinguishing multimodal deformations such as bending and stretching. The fibers’ utility and functionality in sensing and control applications are demonstrated in a smart glove for controlling a virtual hand model, a wrist brace for wrist motion tracking, fiber meshes for strain mapping, and real‐time monitoring of multiaxial expansion and shrinkage of porcine bladders. These results demonstrate that the fiber sensors can be promising candidates for smart textiles, robotics, prosthetics, and biomedical implantable devices.