Synthesis of percolative hyperelastic conducting composite and demonstrations of application in wearable strain sensors

A hyperelastic percolative conductive composite is proposed with acetylene black (AB) as conductive filler introduced into Ecoflex (R) 00-30 elastomer matrix. The conductivity could be enhanced by several orders according to percolation theory and the Young's modulus could also be tailored by modifying AB volume ratio. The AB-Ecoflex composite exhibits electric conductivity high as 6.4 S.m(-1) and remains stable after 100 cycles at 200% strain. This composite with high conductivity, stretchability and stability shows high potential as a competitive candidate for wearable strain sensors to detect human body motions and for human-machine interface application. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.