Wireless Ti3C2TxMXene Strain Sensor with Ultrahigh Sensitivity and Designated Working Windows for Soft Exoskeletons

Haitao Yang, Xiao Xiao, Zhipeng Li, Kerui Li, Nicholas Cheng, Shuo Li, Jin Huat Low, Lin Jing, Xuemei Fu, Sippanat Achavananthadith, Fanzhe Low, Qian Wang, Po Len Yeh, Hongliang Ren, John S. Ho, Chen Hua Yeow, Po Yen Chen

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

129 Scopus citations

Abstract

Emerging soft exoskeletons pose urgent needs for high-performance strain sensors with tunable linear working windows to achieve a high-precision control loop. Still, the state-of-the-art strain sensors require further advances to simultaneously satisfy multiple sensing parameters, including high sensitivity, reliable linearity, and tunable strain ranges. Besides, a wireless sensing system is highly desired to enable facile monitoring of soft exoskeleton in real time, but is rarely investigated. Herein, wireless Ti3C2Tx MXene strain sensing systems were fabricated by developing hierarchical morphologies on piezoresistive layers and incorporating regulatory resistors into circuit designs as well as integrating the sensing circuit with near-field communication (NFC) technology. The wireless MXene sensor system can simultaneously achieve an ultrahigh sensitivity (gauge factor ≥ 14,000) and reliable linearity (R2 ≈ 0.99) within multiple user-designated high-strain working windows (130% to ≥900%). Additionally, the wireless sensing system can collectively monitor the multisegment exoskeleton actuations through a single database channel, largely reducing the data processing loading. We finally integrate the wireless, battery-free MXene e-skin with various soft exoskeletons to monitor the complex actuations that assist hand/leg rehabilitation.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)11860-11875
Number of pages16
JournalACS Nano
Volume14
Issue number9
DOIs
StatePublished - 22 Sep 2020
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • hierarchical morphologies
  • soft exoskeletons
  • strain sensors
  • titanium carbide TiCTMXene
  • wireless technologies

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Wireless Ti3C2TxMXene Strain Sensor with Ultrahigh Sensitivity and Designated Working Windows for Soft Exoskeletons'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this