Engineered mechanically exfoliated flexible graphene-based frugal strain sensors

This study presents innovative technique to fabricate mechanically exfoliated multiple flexible graphene strain sensors from laser induced graphitization on wood at room temperature. The successful formation of graphene is confirmed through Raman Spectroscopy, where the characteristic graphene signature is identified. By this simple process, we have achieved a response time of 250 ms for tensile strain as well as high gauge factor of 94. Along with tensile and compressive strains, it also detected twisting strain with response time of 570 ms. Moreover, the sensor is directly applicable as it does not require any special adhesives and it was successfully utilized to monitor the human motions, such as relative movements of the fingers and elbow joints, demonstrating its capability for static strain monitoring. Meanwhile, the sensor exhibited remarkable flexibility, sustaining consistent performance after 1000 cycles of stretching and bending. This method is of great value due to its easy approach for graphene synthesis and offers potential for high-quality flexible strain sensors for green electronics and this technique may open revolutionary impact and accelerate the commercialization of graphene-based devices.