Synergistic Effect of Hybrid Long Silver Nanowires and Carbon Nanotubes on Strain Sensing Behavior of Fluoroelastomer Nanocomposites

In this study, a novel hybrid stretchable sensor is developed with a combination of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and long silver nanowires (AgNWs) in fluoroelastomer (FKM) via melt-mixing method. An electrically conductive hybrid structure is created which provides a wider detection range of strain, i.e. from 23% strain sensing for single filler to more than 135% strain sensing for the hybrid CNT/AgNW fillers. Very long silver nanowires (AgNWs) are synthesized using an optimized polyol method producing high-aspect-ratio AgNWs with 75-100μm in length and 150nm in diameter. This comprehensive report includes a scalable fabrication process, morphology characterization, electrical properties and route to improve the strain sensing performance. The overall properties of hybrid FKM nanocomposite with 80/20 volume ratio of CNT/AgNW meet the requirements for many applications for flexible and stretchable electronics.