Study on the Gamma Irradiation Characteristics of a Carbon Nanotube Sponge/Polydimethylsiloxane/Tungsten Oxide Flexible Force-Sensitive Structure

Abstract

) powder, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), and carbon nanotube (CNT) sponge. The thickness of the sample was 2.2 mm, the middle interlayer was composed of a carbon nanotube (CNT) sponge and PDMS to form a conductive layer, and the upper and lower layers were made of tungsten oxide and PDMS, which formed a gamma-ray shielding layer. When the particle size of the tungsten oxide powder was 50 nm, 100 nm, and 1 µm, the composite force-sensitive structure exhibited better force-sensitive performance. The composite force-sensitive structure was irradiated with doses of 5, 20, 50, and 100 KGy through 60Co- rays with an energy of 1.25 MeV. The results showed that the force-sensitive characteristics changed little in significance after irradiation by different doses of gamma rays, indicating that the force-sensitive structure has good resistance to gamma radiation. This flexible stress sensor can be used in soft robots and health inspection, even in harsh environments without significant performance loss.