Fabrication of conducting elastomeric composite fibres

Conducting elastomeric fibres provide essential building blocks for strain sensor textiles. In this thesis, a number of strategies are studied leading to the fabrication of conducting elastomeric composite fibres for strain sensing applications. To reach this goal, fibres are required that are not only highly electrically conducting but also possess outstanding mechanical properties to permit integration into larger assembled structures such as textiles. It is, however, a challenge to retain the high stretchability of an elastomer when used in polymer composites. Likewise, the high conductivity of organic conductors is typically compromised when used as filler in composite systems. In this thesis, it is demonstrated that it is possible to mitigate these undesirable effects and achieve elastomeric fibre composites with high electrical conductivity and more importantly, attain mechanical properties that are useful for strain sensing applications...