{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,15]],"date-time":"2026-02-15T14:54:44Z","timestamp":1771167284459,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":36,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"20","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,10,20]],"date-time":"2023-10-20T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1697760000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100002723","name":"AiF","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["20986N"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["20986N"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100002723","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Sensors"],"abstract":"<jats:p>High-aspect-ratio carbon nanotubes can be directly mixed into polymers to create piezoresistive polymers. Reducing the cross-sensitivity and creating unidirectional sensitive sensors can be achieved by aligning the nanotubes before they are cured in the polymer layer. This research presents and characterises this alignment of carbon nanotubes inside polydimethylsiloxane and gives the corresponding strain sensor results. The influence on the alignment method, as well as the field strength, frequency and time is shown. An analytical model is created to investigate the sensor\u2019s behaviour and determine the effect of electron-tunnelling in the sensor. A numerical model gives insight into the necessary applied field strength, frequency and time to facilitate alignment in viscous liquids. The experimental data show a two-phase piezoresistive response; first, a linear strain response, after which the more dominant electron-tunnelling piezoresistive phase starts with high gauge factors up to k \u2248 4500 in the preferential direction, depending on the carbon nanotube concentration. Gauge factors in the orthogonal direction remain low (k \u2248 22). Finally, the dynamic stability of the sensors is proven by exposing the sensors to a cyclic strain. Small initial drifts are observed but appear to stabilise after several cycles.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/s23208606","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,10,20]],"date-time":"2023-10-20T11:53:56Z","timestamp":1697802836000},"page":"8606","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["Unidirectional Electron-Tunnelling Flexible PDMS Strain Sensor with Aligned Carbon Nanotubes"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"23","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2737-3774","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tim Mike","family":"de Rijk","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute for Microsensors, Actuators and Systems, University Bremen, 28359 Bremen, Germany"}]},{"given":"Sascha","family":"Schewzow","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute for Microsensors, Actuators and Systems, University Bremen, 28359 Bremen, Germany"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4138-3282","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Andreas","family":"Schander","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute for Microsensors, Actuators and Systems, University Bremen, 28359 Bremen, Germany"}]},{"given":"Walter","family":"Lang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute for Microsensors, Actuators and Systems, University Bremen, 28359 Bremen, Germany"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,10,20]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3923","DOI":"10.1007\/s10853-021-06760-x","article-title":"Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)-reinforced ceramic nanocomposites for aerospace applications: A review","volume":"57","author":"Ramachandran","year":"2022","journal-title":"J. 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