title: Enhanced performance in capacitive force sensors using carbon nanotube/polydimethylsiloxane nanocomposites with high dielectric properties.
abstract: Force sensors have attracted tremendous attention owing to their applications in various fields such as touch screens, robots, smart scales, and wearable devices. The force sensors reported so far have been mainly focused on high sensitivity based on delicate microstructured materials, resulting in low reproducibility and high fabrication cost that are limitations for wide applications. As an alternative, we demonstrate a novel capacitive-type force sensor with enhanced performance owing to the increased dielectric properties of elastomers and simple sensor structure. We rationally design dielectric elastomers based on alkylamine modified-multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)/polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) composites, which have a higher dielectric constant than pure PDMS. The alkylamine-MWCNTs show excellent dispersion in a PDMS matrix, thus leading to enhanced and reliable dielectric properties of the composites. A force sensor array fabricated with alkylamine-MWCNT/PDMS composites presents an enhanced response due to the higher dielectric constant of the composites than that of pure PDMS. This study is the first to report enhanced performance of capacitive force sensors by modulating the dielectric properties of elastomers. We believe that the disclosed strategy to improve the sensor performance by increasing the dielectric properties of elastomers has great potential in the development of capacitive force sensor arrays that respond to various input forces.
authors.affiliation: Photo-electronic Hybrids Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul 02792, Korea. heesukkim@kist.re.kr and KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Korea.
authors.forename: Hyeyoung
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.affiliation: Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS), Daejeon 34113, Korea. jhk@kriss.re.kr and School of Mechanical Systems Engineering, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, 61186, Korea.
authors.forename: Hyungsuk
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.affiliation: Photo-electronic Hybrids Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul 02792, Korea. heesukkim@kist.re.kr.
authors.forename: Youngpyo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.affiliation: Photo-electronic Hybrids Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul 02792, Korea. heesukkim@kist.re.kr.
authors.forename: Jaeyoo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Photo-electronic Hybrids Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul 02792, Korea. heesukkim@kist.re.kr and KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Korea.
authors.forename: Sang-Soo
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: School of Mechanical Systems Engineering, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, 61186, Korea.
authors.forename: Insu
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Jeon
authors.affiliation: Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS), Daejeon 34113, Korea. jhk@kriss.re.kr.
authors.forename: Jong-Ho
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Photo-electronic Hybrids Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul 02792, Korea. heesukkim@kist.re.kr.
authors.forename: Heesuk
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kim