Piezo-resistive properties of graphene based PVDF composite films for strain sensing

Graphene based polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) composite films have been produced and characterized in order to investigate their piezo-resistive properties. To this purpose, a new production process has been developed, with the aim of fabricating at low cost PVDF films filled with graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs). The produced films, having a GNP content of 1.5%wt and 2% wt, have been characterized from morpholocial and chemical points of view. Moreover, their piezo-resistive properties have been investigated both in static and cyclic conditions. The produced films show a stable and repeatable response to the applied strain. A sensitivity of 15 has been measured for the PVDF/GNP film filled at 1.5% wt, corresponding to an applied strain of 1.5%.