Transfer-free preparation of flexible strain sensors using high quality VGNs

Recently, flexible mechanically stimulated sensors have attracted widespread attention in the field of wearable devices and soft robotics. Due to the high stretchability, vertical graphene nano-walls (VGNs) become a competitive candidate to be applied in the flexible strain sensors. Herein, by utilizing the inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition (IC-PECVD) method, a transfer-free VGNs-based flexible strain sensors were successfully prepared on fluorphlogopite mica substrate at 600 celcius. The quality of as-grown VGNs were obviously improved by increasing the ratio of H2 to CH4. The directly prepared VGNs on interdigital electrode could improve the interfacial contact between VGNs and interdigital electrode. The results of bending tests show that flexible sensors which VGNs directly grown on the interdigital electrode have good performance. The combination of sleeves and the sensors reveal that the transfer-free flexible strain sensors could perform well in wearable devices.