Our website is currently undergoing maintenance. Article records and full texts remain available. Submissions can be made through the Editorial Manager.

Research on Highly Sensitive Amorphous Silicon-Carbon Nanocomposite Strain Sensors for Motion Capture

Bing Liang, Tingna Zhou, Ling Zeng

Journal of Ceramic Science and Technology · Early View (advance online publication) (-1), pp. 1-18

DOI: 10.4416/JCST2026-00007

Download full article (PDF)

Abstract

Amorphous silicon-carbon nanocomposite strain sensors are promising for wearable motion capture because they can combine chemically tunable mixed-bond networks with mechanically compliant conductive pathways. In this work, four flexible sensor groups, denoted S1 – S4, were fabricated by varying carbon enrichment and network-conversion intensity in precursor-derived amorphous silicon-carbon sensing layers. Comparative characterization showed that all active layers remained predominantly amorphous while exhibiting progressive changes in carbon-domain disorder, Si-C related bonding fraction, nanoscale conductive-domain size, surface roughness, and crack-prone mesoscale texture. Among the four samples, S3 showed the most favorable chemical-state window, with the highest Si-C related bond fraction, the most favorable surface roughness, and the best balance between conductive continuity and reversible pathway instability. This structural combination was associated with superior electromechanical performance, including gauge factors of 17.4 at 0 – 10 % strain, 73.8 at 10 – 40 % strain, and 286.7 at 40 – 80 % strain, a working range of 0 – 90 %, a minimum detectable strain of 0.10 %, a response time of 81 ms, and 93.3 % signal retention after 10 000 cycles. The optimized device also maintained good stability under humidity and temperature variations, storage, and repeated bending and monitored finger, wrist, elbow, knee, throat, and facial-expression motion. The results suggest that high-performance motion capture in this material system is governed not by maximum carbonization alone, but by a balanced amorphous silicon-carbon network that couples moderate roughness, interfacial anchoring, and reversible crack-mediated conductive-path modulation.

Keywords

Amorphous silicon-carbon, strain sensor, motion capture, wearable electronics, nanocomposite

View this issue · Article & DOI index