A Piezoelectric Sensor Based on MWCNT-Enhanced Polyvinyl Chloride Gel for Contact Perception of Grippers
In contrast to traditional hydrogels, which are susceptible to water evaporation and structural degradation, non-hydrogel materials are engineered for superior stability and consistent performance. Here, we report an innovative piezoelectric polyvinyl chloride/multi-walled carbon nanotube polymer ge...
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MDPI AG
2025-06-01
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| author | Qiyun Zhong Qingsong He Diyi Liu Xinyu Lu Siyuan Liu Yuze Ye Yefu Wang |
| author_facet | Qiyun Zhong Qingsong He Diyi Liu Xinyu Lu Siyuan Liu Yuze Ye Yefu Wang |
| author_sort | Qiyun Zhong |
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| description | In contrast to traditional hydrogels, which are susceptible to water evaporation and structural degradation, non-hydrogel materials are engineered for superior stability and consistent performance. Here, we report an innovative piezoelectric polyvinyl chloride/multi-walled carbon nanotube polymer gel (PVC/MWCNT polymer gel, PMPG) with exceptional linearity (as low as 1.31%), high sensitivity (50–310.17 mV), rapid response (172–189 ms), and thermal stability. Under strain induction, ordered rearrangement of dipoles in PMPG and the enhancement of MWCNTs generate a potential difference. Increasing MWCNT content enhances output voltage, sensitivity, conductivity, maximum stress, Young’s modulus, and toughness, while reducing nonlinear error. Higher dibutyl adipate (DBA) content increases output voltage and slightly improves sensitivity but decreases mechanical strength. The optimal PMPG (PVC:DBA = 1:5, 1 wt% MWCNTs) exhibited outstanding performance. It exhibits a nonlinear error as low as 1.31%, a conductivity of 25.4 μS/cm, an 80% compressive strain tolerance (273 kPa stress), and dimensional stability for 90 days in air. By integrating PMPG with machine learning algorithms, soft robotic grippers gain advanced contact perception capabilities, enabling applications in medicine, rescue, exploration, and other fields requiring fine manipulation and adaptability. This work highlights PMPG’s potential as a stable, high-performance material for soft robotics and beyond. |
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| institution | Kabale University |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-45ab3390f3e94dcdbce5302cf2e2c9612025-08-20T03:26:10ZengMDPI AGBiomimetics2313-76732025-06-0110636310.3390/biomimetics10060363A Piezoelectric Sensor Based on MWCNT-Enhanced Polyvinyl Chloride Gel for Contact Perception of GrippersQiyun Zhong0Qingsong He1Diyi Liu2Xinyu Lu3Siyuan Liu4Yuze Ye5Yefu Wang6Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Bionic Materials and Equipment, College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, ChinaJiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Bionic Materials and Equipment, College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, ChinaJiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Bionic Materials and Equipment, College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, ChinaJiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Bionic Materials and Equipment, College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, ChinaJiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Bionic Materials and Equipment, College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, ChinaJiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Bionic Materials and Equipment, College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, ChinaThe First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, ChinaIn contrast to traditional hydrogels, which are susceptible to water evaporation and structural degradation, non-hydrogel materials are engineered for superior stability and consistent performance. Here, we report an innovative piezoelectric polyvinyl chloride/multi-walled carbon nanotube polymer gel (PVC/MWCNT polymer gel, PMPG) with exceptional linearity (as low as 1.31%), high sensitivity (50–310.17 mV), rapid response (172–189 ms), and thermal stability. Under strain induction, ordered rearrangement of dipoles in PMPG and the enhancement of MWCNTs generate a potential difference. Increasing MWCNT content enhances output voltage, sensitivity, conductivity, maximum stress, Young’s modulus, and toughness, while reducing nonlinear error. Higher dibutyl adipate (DBA) content increases output voltage and slightly improves sensitivity but decreases mechanical strength. The optimal PMPG (PVC:DBA = 1:5, 1 wt% MWCNTs) exhibited outstanding performance. It exhibits a nonlinear error as low as 1.31%, a conductivity of 25.4 μS/cm, an 80% compressive strain tolerance (273 kPa stress), and dimensional stability for 90 days in air. By integrating PMPG with machine learning algorithms, soft robotic grippers gain advanced contact perception capabilities, enabling applications in medicine, rescue, exploration, and other fields requiring fine manipulation and adaptability. This work highlights PMPG’s potential as a stable, high-performance material for soft robotics and beyond.https://www.mdpi.com/2313-7673/10/6/363piezoelectric sensorpolyvinyl chloride gelMWCNT-enhancedKNNcontact perception |
| spellingShingle | Qiyun Zhong Qingsong He Diyi Liu Xinyu Lu Siyuan Liu Yuze Ye Yefu Wang A Piezoelectric Sensor Based on MWCNT-Enhanced Polyvinyl Chloride Gel for Contact Perception of Grippers Biomimetics piezoelectric sensor polyvinyl chloride gel MWCNT-enhanced KNN contact perception |
| title | A Piezoelectric Sensor Based on MWCNT-Enhanced Polyvinyl Chloride Gel for Contact Perception of Grippers |
| title_full | A Piezoelectric Sensor Based on MWCNT-Enhanced Polyvinyl Chloride Gel for Contact Perception of Grippers |
| title_fullStr | A Piezoelectric Sensor Based on MWCNT-Enhanced Polyvinyl Chloride Gel for Contact Perception of Grippers |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Piezoelectric Sensor Based on MWCNT-Enhanced Polyvinyl Chloride Gel for Contact Perception of Grippers |
| title_short | A Piezoelectric Sensor Based on MWCNT-Enhanced Polyvinyl Chloride Gel for Contact Perception of Grippers |
| title_sort | piezoelectric sensor based on mwcnt enhanced polyvinyl chloride gel for contact perception of grippers |
| topic | piezoelectric sensor polyvinyl chloride gel MWCNT-enhanced KNN contact perception |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2313-7673/10/6/363 |
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