This innovative, first-ever, nanocomposites-inspired smart sensor
is made of carbon black (CB), 2D graphene and polyvinylidene
fluoride (PVDF). The sensors made of this new breed of
nanocomposites can be directly sprayed on any engineering
structure to form a highly dense smart sensing network, which
can acquire in-situ broadband ultrasounds of up to 1 MHz for
damage detection. Lightweight, flexible and highly responsive, the
sensing network can quantitatively evaluate invisible, undersized
defect and damage in the structure, such as cracks caused by
metal fatigue. This new sensing technology retrofits conventional
ultrasonic sensing philosophy, and blazes a new trail for next
generation of in-situ structural health monitoring.
