Strain gauges, particularly for wearable sensing applications, require a high degree of stretchability, softness, sensitivity, selectivity, and linearity. They must also steer clear of challenges such as mechanical and electrical hysteresis, overshoot behavior, and slow response/recovery times. However, current strain gauges face challenges in satisfying all of these requirements at once due to the inevitable trade-offs between these properties. Here, we present an innovative method for creating strain gauges from spongy Ag foam through a steam-etching process. This method simplifies the traditional, more complex, and costly manufacturing techniques, presenting an eco-friendly alternative. Uniquely, the strain gauges crafted from this method achieve an unparalleled gauge factor greater than 8 × 103 at strains exceeding 100%, successfully meeting all required attributes without notable trade-offs. Our work includes systematic investigations that reveal the intricate structure-property-performance relationship of the spongy Ag foam with practical demonstrations in areas such as human motion monitoring and human-robot interaction. These breakthroughs pave the way for highly sensitive and selective strain gauges, showing immediate applicability across a wide range of wearable sensing applications.
Keywords: nanowires; spongy foam; steam etching; strain gauge; wearable sensors.