Fabric-infused array of reduced graphene oxide sensors for mapping of skin temperatures

• Published in: Sensors and actuators. A. Physical. Vol. 280; pp. 92 - 98
• Main Authors: Jin, Yiqian, Boon, Eric P., Le, Linh T., Lee, Woo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Lausanne Elsevier B.V 01-09-2018; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Chemical compounds; Fabric-infused sensor array; Filaments; Graphene; Heat detection; Infrared imaging; Mapping; Reduced graphene oxide; Sensor arrays; Sensors; Skin temperature; Smart health; Strain; Thermal imaging of skin; Wearable temperature sensors; Fabric-infused sensor array; Thermal imaging of skin; Smart health; Reduced graphene oxide; Wearable temperature sensors
• ISSN: 0924-4247; 1873-3069
• DOI: 10.1016/j.sna.2018.06.043

•In this work, we coated nylon filaments with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) uniformly by inkjet printing and chemical reduction. The rGO was utilized as a uniquely conformal material with negative temperature coefficient (NTC).•We tested and proved that moderate bending (<34°) and stretching (<4% strain) did not appreciably and irreversibly damage the structure of rGO film, and therefore the stable NTC behavior could be sustained.•We designed and fabricated the textile-infused sensor array for spatiotemporal mapping of skin temperatures. The rGO-coated nylon filaments were stitched along with Ag conductive threads into a polyester fabric to create the array, consisting of individually addressable 6 × 6 NTC sensing elements.•The temperature-mapping attribute of the sensor array was evaluated in comparison to infrared imaging. The accuracy of the sensor array was proved to be comparable to those of infrared cameras.
We report a textile-infused sensor array, utilizing reduced graphene oxide (rGO) as a uniquely conformal negative temperature coefficient (NTC) material, for spatiotemporal mapping of skin temperatures. Nylon filaments were coated with rGO and stitched along with Ag conductive threads into a polyester fabric to create the array of individually addressable 6 × 6 NTC sensing elements. The temperature-mapping attribute of the sensor array was evaluated in comparison to infrared imaging. The rGO film remained mechanically and electrically stable upon stretching (<4% strain) and bending (<34°) of the filaments, demonstrating its conformal nature. These results suggest the intriguing possibility of thermally mapping topographically complex skin surfaces in a non-invasive, wearable, and cost effective manner.