Piezoresistive behaviour of additively manufactured multi-walled carbon nanotube/thermoplastic polyurethane nanocomposites

Abstract

To develop highly sensitive flexible pressure sensors, the mechanical and piezoresistive properties of conductive thermoplastic materials produced via additive manufacturing technology were investigated. Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) dispersed in thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), which is flexible and pliable, were used to form filaments. Specimens of the MWCNT/TPU composite with various MWCNT concentrations were printed using fused deposition modelling. Uniaxial tensile tests were conducted, while the mechanical and piezoresistive properties of the MWCNT/TPU composites were measured. To predict the piezoresistive behaviour of the composites, a microscale 3D resistance network model was developed. In addition, a continuum piezoresistive model was proposed for large-scale simulations.