Development of bendable strain sensor with embedded microchannels using 3D printing

•3D printed, robust and bendable microchannel based strain sensor.•The printed sensor shows good repeatability and can detect strain as low as 0.2% in the direction parallel to the microchannels.•Demonstrated capability of 3D printing for new-age electronic devices.

This paper describes the design, fabrication and characterization of a microchannel-based strain sensor using flexible material. The work explores the use of additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, to fabricate the sensor in easy and cost-effective way. It is shown that 3D printing can print complex designs with ease and fabricate objects with embedded features. Microchannels with dimension of 500 μm diameter are printed within the sensor structure and filled with conductive silver nanoparticle ink. The fabricated device is checked for printability and design valve adherence using optical microscope and micro-CT. The printed sensor is capable of measuring normal (orthogonal to channels) and in-plane (parallel to channels) tensile forces and is tested using a custom-built test rig.