Development of conducting carbon inks for direct writing of soft strain gauges

Soft robotics is a rapidly emerging field, and the demand for intelligent, compliant actuators is on the rise. To this end, a strain gauge that can be 3D printed on a soft substrate is required, to match this ever-evolving field. Conductive carbon materials, such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been previously presented as such a material. n this project, a vapour grown carbon nanofibre (VGCNF): gellan gum (GG) stable dispersion is projected through horn sonication, and is characterised through electrical, mechanical and rheological testing on a dry film, as well as a surface morphology.