Highly sensitive and linear-response temperature sensor based on carbon nanotube/PDMS composites for body temperature monitoring
摘要
Composite-based temperature sensors hold significant promise for body temperature monitoring, crucial for assessing health conditions and predicting diseases. However, achieving both high sensitivity and linear response in these sensors remains challenging. This study introduces a novel approach to high-performance temperature sensors by utilizing carbon nanotube (CNT)/polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) composites. The temperature response characteristic of the sensors is influenced by the original morphology and contact status of CNT fillers. These factors can be adjusted through carefully controlling the processing parameters. By optimizing the curing temperature and CNT weight ratio, we developed sensors with high sensitivity and linear response within the temperature range of 30–70 °C. The optimal sensor based on composites composed of 1.5 wt% CNTs and cured at 75 °C achieves a sensitivity of 1.88% °C−1, a resolution of 0.1 °C, and a response time under 3 s. The sensors demonstrate potential for real-time body temperature monitoring and spatial temperature mapping. This work offers a simple but effective method to enhance the performance of composite-based temperature sensors.