Researchers in China have made a new strain sensor to monitor the safety of buildings and other structures. Strain sensors are used to monitor structural damage, so can detect problems in the integrity of buildings during earthquakes, or in the structure of vehicles and aircraft.
Guojia Fang and co-workers from Wuhan University made a sensor out of polymer nanofibres – poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). They used electrospinning to draw out fibres from a mixture of the polymers, then formed a structure of interconnecting strands. Interested to know more? Read the full article in Chemistry World here…
Electrospun PEDOT:PSS–PVA nanofiber based ultrahigh-strain sensors with controllable electrical conductivity
N Liu, G Fang, J Wan, H Zhou, H Long and X Zhao,
J. Mater. Chem., 2011
DOI: 10.1039/c1jm14491j
To keep up-to-date with all the latest research, sign up for the journal’s e-alerts or RSS feeds or follow Journal of Materials Chemistry on Twitter
