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Ag nanoparticles were embedded in the near surface of SiO2 substrate and fabricated by low-energy ion implantation method in this study. The optical and structural properties of Ag implanted samples were investigated using optical spectroscopy, transmission electron microscope (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The grain size and distribution of nanoparticles embedded in the substrate were characterized by TEM and AFM characterization. Results showed that the grain size and depth of distribution of nanoparticles were controlled by changing the ion implantation energy and dose. Furthermore, the Ag nanoparticles embedded near surface of substrate prepared by this low-energy ion implantation method had strong local surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) characteristics. Our work demonstrates a practical means for fabrication of metal nanoparticles with controllable size and distribution using ion implantation technology, which is helpful to the application of local plasmon resonance effect of metal nanoparticles.

Wearable strain sensor can be mounted on textiles and attached onto human skins to detect various mechanical motions and health conditions. Here, we report a sensitive and response-stable strain sensor based on the polymers consisting of the super acid-treated poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) and polydimethylsiloxane. The polymer-based strain sensor exhibits a high sensitivity of 26.6–30.6 and a stable response with a large sensing strain of up to 30% for a potential application.