A Piezoresistive Bacterial Cellulose-based Sensor for Axial Displacement Measurements

The paper introduces an organic axial displacement sensor based on Bacterial Cellulose, impregnated with a conducting polymer. The composite uses Bacterial Cellulose as the structural material, while the conducting polymer is absorbed. The piezoresistive properties of the composite have been studied with the aim of investigating the possibility of realizing all-polymeric strain sensors. Reported results show that the composite reacts to axial strains. Deformations up to 0.9 mm have been applied to a device, whose size is about 3.8 cmx1 cm. The proposed sensing system can be a contribution to the realization of all-organic, flexible and low-cost mechanical sensors.