Self-monitoring and self-correcting polymer fibers coated with carbon nanotubes

Bandaging, which has been used either to support a medical device such as a dressing or splint, or on its own to provide support to the body or restrict the motion of a part of the body, is further studied in our work in the form of multifunctional materials for self-monitoring and self-correcting by integration with carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Here, modified polymer fibers for bandages can be fabricated from fibers of commercially available bandages with carbon nanotubes uniformly adhering to the fibers, via a simple solution process to produce tough, flexible, and electrically conducting fibers. The conductivity of the coated bandage fibers is reversibly sensitive to strain, and strain in the coated bandage fibers also can be generated by electrical heating, leading to proof-of-concept sensor and actuator demonstrations.