3D printed graphene/polyurethane wearable pressure sensor for motion fitness monitoring

The structural design of three-dimensional (3D) flexible wearable sensors using conductive polymer composites is a hot spot in current research. In this paper, honeycomb-shaped flexible resistive pressure sensors with three different support structures were manufactured by using thermoplastic polyurethane and graphene nanoplatelets composites based on fused deposition 3D printing technology. Based on the various 3D conductive network of the sensors, the flexible sensor exhibit excellent piezoresistive performance, such as adjustable gauge factor (GF) (13.70–54.58), exceptional durability and stability. A combination of representative volume element and finite element simulations was used to simulate the stress distribution of sensors with different structures to predict the structure's effect on the sensor GF. In addition, the sensor can be attached to human body to monitor the body's swallowing and walking behaviors. The sensor has prospective process applications for intelligent wearable devices. (paper)