Abstract
This work present the fabrication and characterization of a flexible temperature sensor based on the flake graphite (FG)/carbon nanotube (CNT)/polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) composite. The sensor shows high temperature sensitivity and good linearity. The FG/CNT/PDMS temperature-sensitive films are prepared by the screen printing process. Superior printability of the FG/CNT/PDMS inks is demonstrated by means of rheology. Field emission scanning electron microscope investigation reveals an interpenetrating network structures between the FG and CNT. Moreover, thermal gravity analysis illustrates that the FG/CNT/PDMS temperature-sensitive films have a better thermal stability than that of PDMS blank control film. The temperature-dependent resistance behavior suggests that the temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) value of the FG/CNT/PDMS films can be manipulated by the mass ratio of FG to CNT. When the mass ratio of FG to CNT is 4:1, the TCR is almost reproducible and maintained at the same level of 0.028 K−1 for repeated thermal cycles. These results indicate that the developed FG/CNT/PDMS composite has potential applications for the flexible temperature sensor.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
L. Atzori, A. Iera, G. Morabito, The internet of things: a survey. Comput. Netw. 54, 2787–2805 (2010)
S. Harada, K. Kanao, Y. Yamamoto, T. Arie, S. Akita, K. Takei, Fully printed flexible fingerprint-like three-axis tactile and slip force and temperature sensors for artificial skin. ACS Nano 8, 12851–12857 (2014)
S.G. Yoon, S.T. Chang, Microfluidic capacitive sensors with ionic liquid electrodes and CNT/PDMS nanocomposites for simultaneous sensing of pressure and temperature. J. Mater. Chem. C 5, 1910–1919 (2017)
G. Rosace, V. Trovato, C. Colleoni, M. Caldara, V. Re, M. Brucale, M.R. Plutino, Structural and morphological characterizations of MWCNTs hybrid coating onto cotton fabric as potential humidity and temperature wearable sensor. Sens. Actuators B. Chem. 252, 428–439 (2017)
W. Honda, S. Harada, T. Arie, S. Akita, K. Takei, Wearable, human-interactive, health-monitoring, wireless devices fabricated by macroscale printing techniques. Adv. Func. Mater. 24, 3299–3304 (2014)
G. Yang, R. Teng, P. Xiao, Electrical properties of crosslinked polyethylene/carbon black switching composites as a function of morphology and structure of the carbon black. Polym. Compos. 18, 477–483 (1997)
S.H. Foulger, Reduced percolation thresholds of immiscible conductive blends. J. Polym. Sci. Pol. Phys. 37, 1899–1910 (1999)
G.J. Lee, K.D. Suh, S.S. Im, Study of electrical phenomena in carbon black-filled HDPE composite. Polym. Eng. Sci. 38, 471–477 (1998)
Z. Zheng, W. Li, H. Sun, Z. Cheng, J. Yan, H. Wang, X. Cui, Preparation and characterization of polystyrene/modified carbon black composite beads via in situ suspension polymerization. Polym. Compos. 34, 1110–1118 (2013)
C.S. Park, K.I. Joo, S.W. Kang, H.R. Kim, A PDMS-coated optical fiber Bragg grating sensor for enhancing temperature sensitivity. J. Opt. Soc. Korea 15, 329–334 (2011)
J.M. Engel, J. Chen, D. Bullen, C. Liu, Polyurethane Rubber as a MEMS Material: Characterization and Demonstration of an All-Polymer Two-Axis Artificial Hair Cell Flow Sensor, in 18th IEEE International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems, vol. 2005 (IEEE, Miami Beach, FL, USA, 2005), pp. 279–282. https://doi.org/10.1109/memsys.2005.1453921
K.S. Lim, W.J. Chang, Y.M. Koo, R. Bashir, Reliable fabrication method of transferable micron scale metal pattern for poly (dimethylsiloxane) metallization. Lab Chip 6, 578–580 (2006)
X.Z. Niu, S.L. Peng, L.Y. Liu, W.J. Wen, P. Sheng, Characterizing and patterning of PDMS-based conducting composites. Adv. Mater. 19, 2682–2686 (2007)
L.C. Tsao, M.Y. Cheng, I.L. Chen, W.P. Shih, Y.J. Yang, F.Y. Chang, S.H. Chang, Flexible Temperature Sensor Array Using Electro-Resistive Polymer Forhumanoid Artificial Skin, in TRANSDUCERS 2007–2007 International Solid-State Sensors, Actuators and Microsystems Conference, vol. 1 (IEEE, Lyon, France, 2007), pp. 2287–2290. https://doi.org/10.1109/sensor.2007.4300626
W.P. Shih, L.C. Tsao, C.W. Lee, M.Y. Cheng, C. Chang, Y.J. Yang, K.C. Fan, Flexible temperature sensor array based on a graphite-polydimethylsiloxane composite. Sensors (Basel) 10, 3597–3610 (2010)
C. Bali, A. Brandlmaier, A. Ganster, O. Raab, J. Zapf, A. Hübler, Fully inkjet-printed flexible temperature sensors based on carbon and PEDOT: PSS1. Mater. Today Proc. 3, 739–745 (2016)
B. Davaji, H.D. Cho, M. Malakoutian, J.K. Lee, G. Panin, T.W. Kang, C.H. Lee, A patterned single layer graphene resistance temperature sensor. Sci. Rep. 7, 8811 (2017)
T. Someya, Y. Kato, T. Sekitani, S. Iba, Y. Noguchi, Y. Murase, T. Sakurai, Conformable, flexible, large-area networks of pressure and thermal sensors with organic transistor active matrixes. P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 102, 12321–12325 (2005)
J. Jeon, H.B.R. Lee, Z. Bao, Flexible wireless temperature sensors based on Ni microparticle-filled binary polymer composites. Adv. Mater. 25, 850–855 (2013)
C. Phillips, A. Al-Ahmadi, S.J. Potts, T. Claypole, D. Deganello, The effect of graphite and carbon black ratios on conductive ink performance. J. Mater. Sci. 52, 9520–9530 (2017)
K.T.S. Kong, M. Mariatti, A.A. Rashid, J.J.C. Busfield, Enhanced conductivity behavior of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) hybrid composites containing exfoliated graphite nanoplatelets and carbon nanotubes. Composites B 58, 457–462 (2014)
S.Y. Yang, W.N. Lin, Y.L. Huang, H.W. Tien, J.Y. Wang, C.C.M. Ma, S.M. Li, Y.S. Wang, Synergetic effects of graphene platelets and carbon nanotubes on the mechanical and thermal properties of epoxy composites. Carbon 49, 793–803 (2011)
S. Kumar, L.L. Sun, S. Caceres, B. Li, W. Wood, A. Perugini, R.G. Maguire, W.H. Zhong, Dynamic synergy of graphitic nanoplatelets and multi-walled carbon nanotubes in polyetherimide nanocomposites. Nanotechnology 21, 105702 (2010)
M. Norkhairunnisa, A. Azizan, M. Mariatti, H. Ismail, L.C. Sim, Thermal stability and electrical behavior of polydimethylsiloxane nanocomposites with carbon nanotubes and carbon black fillers. J. Mater. Sci. 46(8), 903–910 (2012)
J.Y. Oh, G.H. Jun, S. Jin, H.J. Ryu, S.H. Hong, Enhanced electrical networks of stretchable conductors with small fraction of carbon nanotube/graphene hybrid fillers. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 8, 3319–3325 (2016)
Y.H. Zhao, Y.F. Zhang, Z.K. Wu, S.L. Bai, Synergic enhancement of thermal properties of polymer composites by graphene foam and carbon black. Composites B 84, 52–58 (2016)
Acknowledgments
The authors gratefully appreciate financial support offered by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 51371129 and 11174226).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Wu, L., Qian, J., Peng, J. et al. Screen-printed flexible temperature sensor based on FG/CNT/PDMS composite with constant TCR. J Mater Sci: Mater Electron 30, 9593–9601 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-019-01293-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-019-01293-1