Abstract
Flexible electronics are showing a promising potential as the next technology revolution in electronics. Flexible tactile sensors, in particular, are getting a lot of attention and have been rapidly developing in the last few years. This is due, inter alia, to the large expansion of the wearable electronic market, flexible displays and the robotic applications where robots are developed to better interact with the external environment through physical contact via the use of tactile sensors. 3D printing technology is being more applied to develop electronic devices giving its numerous advantages. In this regard, the present work reports an improved strain sensor in terms of low and stable electrical resistance over a considerable period of time. The structure of the sensor consists of an elastomeric composite material composed of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and a multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) conductive line deposited using the Direct-Write technique in between two elastomer substrates (PDMS). The developed sensor was able to display significant stability and relatively low resistance. The stability of the resistance throughout a period of 10 days, allowed the study of the dispensing parameters (such as the feed rate and the dispensing pressure of the conductive nanocomposite) influencing the dimensional characteristics (such as the dispensed line width and height). A numerical representation of the relation between the dispensing parameters and the obtained characteristics of the conductive line is presented.
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This research was supported by National Research Foundation of Korea (Grant No. NRF-2016R1D1A1B03936016).
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This paper was presented at ICMDT 2019, Shiroyama Hotel, Kagoshima, Japan, April 24-27, 2019. Recommended by Guest Editor Haedo Jeong.
Chaima Fekiri is a Ph.D. student of the Department of Precision Mechanical Engineering, Chungbuk National University, Korea. She received her Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering from the National Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology, Tunisia. Her research interests include Additive Manufacturing, Pressure-sensitive Materials, and Sensor Fabrication.
Hochan Kim is a Professor of the De partment of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering, Andong National University, Andong, Korea. He received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Pusan National University. His research interests include Additive Manufacturing, CAD/CAM, Biomedical Engineering and Automotive Engineering.
In Hwan Lee is a Professor of the School of Mechanical Engineering, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Korea. He received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from POS-TECH. His research interests include Additive Manufacturing, and Biomedical Engineering.
Song Ho Kim is a master’s student of the Department of Precision Mechanical Engineering, Chungbuk National University, Korea. He received his bachelor degree in Mechanical Engineering from Chungbuk National University. His research interests include Additive Manufacturing and MWCNT composites.
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Fekiri, C., Kim, S.H., Kim, HC. et al. Improved resistance stability for tactile sensor fabrication and investigation of the dispensing parameters of a nanocomposite material. J Mech Sci Technol 33, 5631–5636 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-019-1104-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-019-1104-5