Polymer-based electro-active smart composites as stretchable strain sensors

The ever-growing standards of human living associated with augmentation in human-machine interactivity has created a colossal demand for portable electronic devices with smart material functionalities. One such smart functionality is the ability to be applied on any possible structure and also to operate under mechanically stressed environments. Accordingly, mechanically flexible polymer-based electro-active smart composites have garnered significant technological interest for flexible and/or wearable electronic applications. Also, such polymer-based electro-active smart composites, when integrated to device‐engineering technologies, enable the effective fabrication of slender, lighter, stretchable, and foldable sensors and/or actuators. This chapter discussed various types of electro-active polymer composite-based stretchable strain sensors, their operating mechanisms, performance metrics that validate the suitability of a material for stretchable strain sensing, and factors that decide the strain sensing performance of polymer-based conductive composites.