Understanding the electromechanical coupling of auxetic materials offers unique opportunities to enhance the sensitivity of piezoresistive sensors. Reports on the auxetic behavior of random fiber networks have been relatively scarce due to their less pronounced Poisson’s expansions than other auxetic designs adapting periodically arranged structures. In this study, the auxetic response of hierarchical pulp-carbon nanotube networks is tailored through the localized tensional micro-fracture initiated by water-printing.
Various carbon nanotube–paper composites (CPCs) have been studied to measure relative humidity. This study presents a tissue paper-based CPC coated with polyacrylic acid (PAA) for sensing humidity and surface moisture. When the CPC is exposed to humidity, its electrical resistance changes due to its electrostatic interaction with water molecules and the swelling of cellulose fibers and PAA. The enhancement of sensor response due to the swelling of CPCs coated with PAA, acid, and Nafion is studied in terms of resistance change.
The full potential of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), one of the most widely used nanomaterials to date, still remains to be realized, and the dispersion of CNTs is one of the main challenging tasks for many practical applications. Lignin, one of the most abundant renewable polymers, has recently been investigated as a potential dispersant to prepare CNT suspensions. The present study provides a benchmark of the effectiveness of lignin in dispersing CNTs compared to typical petrochemical surfactants.
Nanostructured composites built with microporous cellulose fibers and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have potential impacts in the fields of energy storage, sensors, and flexible electronics. Few results have been shown for high mechanoelectrical sensitivity of CNT-paper composite because of numerous current paths in the network. Here, CNT-paper-based nanostructured composite sensors whose sensitivities are generated by controlled tensile fracture of the composite are presented. Under uniaxial load, the cellulose fibers in the paper experience straightening, stiffening, and fracture.
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