Fabrication and characterization of porous CNF/PDMS nanocomposites for sensing applications

This paper presented the development, fabrication, and characterization of porous nanocomposites using carbon nanofiber (CNF) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomer for sensing applications under compressive loads. Sugar particles coated with CNFs were first used to manufacture templates and then used for the nanocomposite fabrications. All the manufactured nanocomposites were characterized to understand the CNF distribution, porous morphology, and electrical conductivity. The piezoresistive sensing functions were investigated by characterizing the nanocomposites under compressive cyclic loads at various applied maximum strains and strain rates. Long-term sensor performance was evaluated via durability tests for 12 h. The developed nanocomposite sensors have great potential for applications in a broad range of engineering fields.