Wearable Sensors using Solution Processed 2D Materials

Abstract

Wearable sensors, as the name implies, are devices that can be donned onto the body in order to continuously detect, monitor and analyze various signals generated by the subject and the immediate surroundings. Applications of these sensors span over the vast domains of healthcare, athletics, automation and robotics. Conventional wafer-based electronics are brittle and rigid. Wearable devices demand new materials that provide mechanical liberty in terms of flexibility and stretchability with superior functionalities. When the physical dimensions of materials are reduced to the nano scale regime, they exhibit remarkable change in their properties compared to their bulky counterparts. Most widely explored nano materials include 0D, 1D and 2D structures synthesized via advanced processing and chemical routes. The recent progress in nano materials and fabrication methodologies provide new routes to develop sensors that can be bent, stretched, twisted, compressed, or deformed into arbitrary shapes. My research work is focused on creative utilization 2D materials to develop wearable sensors with the aim of providing seamless user experience. Functionalized inks of 2D materials offer versatile fabrication methods like coating, printing, stamping and patterning for development of flexible sensors that are industrially scalable. Present thesis aims to provide insights into use of graphene and MXene inks for realization of novel wearable devices. Specific focus has been set on integration of solution processed graphene on fabric for e-textile applications, ultrathin graphene-based tattoo sensors for proximity sensing studies and skin conformal MXene tattoo for physiological sensing. As fabrication of next generation sensors for wearable applications pose their own unique challenges, my research work aims to deliver innovative methods to address these issues.