Chipless RFID strain sensors: A review and performance analysis

Detecting strain in structures is crucial for structural health monitoring (SHM) to prevent severe damage in buildings, power plants, and aircraft. Chipless radio frequency identification (RFID) has widened sensing applications, providing intelligent strain detection and risk assessment in SHM with reduced cost and complexity. Proper systematic analysis of chipless RFID strain sensors is necessary to improve their performance in terms of detectability, sensitivity, and resolution. This article presents a novel classification of chipless RFID strain sensors, categorized by their sensing mechanisms and materials such as metallic, carbon-type, and hybrid. It investigates the modern development of chipless RFID strain sensors and their significance in strain-sensing capability based on sensing materials, substrates, and sensor geometry. Additionally, the paper highlights the challenges and future directions that need to be addressed for reliable strain detection in the chipless RFID sensing approach. Finally, it analyses the performance of strain sensors using a novel graphene-based chipless sensor to prove the future direction of the chipless strain sensing.