Core-Sheath Structured Yarn for Biomechanical Sensing in Health Monitoring

The rapidly evolving field of functional yarns has garnered substantial research attention due to their exceptional potential in enabling next-generation electronic textiles for wearable health monitoring, human–machine interfaces, and soft robotics. Despite notable advancements, the development of...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Wenjing Fan, Cheng Li, Bingping Yu, Te Liang, Junrui Li, Dapeng Wei, Keyu Meng
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Biomimetics
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2313-7673/10/5/304
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Summary:The rapidly evolving field of functional yarns has garnered substantial research attention due to their exceptional potential in enabling next-generation electronic textiles for wearable health monitoring, human–machine interfaces, and soft robotics. Despite notable advancements, the development of yarn-based strain sensors that simultaneously achieve high flexibility, stretchability, superior comfort, extended operational stability, and exceptional electrical performance remains a critical challenge, hindered by material limitations and structural design constraints. Here, we present a bioinspired, hierarchically structured core-sheath yarn sensor (CSSYS) engineered through an efficient dip-coating process, which synergistically integrates the two-dimensional conductive MXene nanosheets and one-dimensional silver nanowires (AgNWs). Furthermore, the sensor is encapsulated using a yarn-based protective layer, which not only preserves its inherent flexibility and wearability but also effectively mitigates oxidative degradation of the sensitive materials, thereby significantly enhancing long-term durability. Drawing inspiration from the natural architecture of plant stems—where the inner core provides structural integrity while a flexible outer sheath ensures adaptive protection—the CSSYS exhibits outstanding mechanical and electrical performance, including an ultralow strain detection limit (0.05%), an ultrahigh gauge factor (up to 744.45), rapid response kinetics (80 ms), a broad sensing range (0–230% strain), and exceptional cyclic stability (>20,000 cycles). These remarkable characteristics enable the CSSYS to precisely capture a broad spectrum of physiological signals, ranging from subtle arterial pulsations and respiratory rhythms to large-scale joint movements, demonstrating its immense potential for next-generation wearable health monitoring systems.
ISSN:2313-7673