Toward flexible piezoresistive strain sensors based on polymer nanocomposites: a review on fundamentals, performance, and applications

Abstract The fundamentals, performance, and applications of piezoresistive strain sensors based on polymer nanocomposites are summarized herein. The addition of conductive nanoparticles to a flexible polymer matrix has emerged as a possible alternative to conventional strain gauges, which have limitations in detecting small strain levels and adapting to different surfaces. The evaluation of the properties or performance parameters of strain sensors such as the elongation at break, sensitivity, linearity, hysteresis, transient response, stability, and durability are explained in this review. Moreover, these nanocomposites can be exposed to different environmental conditions throughout their lifetime, including different temperature, humidity or acidity/alkalinity levels, that can affect performance parameters. The development of flexible piezoresistive sensors based on nanocomposites has emerged in recent years for applications related to the biomedical field, smart robotics, and structural health monitoring. However, there are still challenges to overcome in designing high-performance flexible sensors for practical implementation. Overall, this paper provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of research on flexible piezoresistive strain sensors based on polymer nanocomposites, which can be a viable option to address some of the major technological challenges that the future holds.