Flexible and Wearable Chemical Sensor Based on Graphene Derivatives

Flexible and wearable sensors have attained tremendous attention in the last few years due to their rising demand for real-time monitoring. Starting from monitoring human health to the surrounding environment, wearable sensors have drawn the attention of researchers worldwide. Nanomaterials with superior electrical, mechanical and chemical properties with high environmental stability have shown high demand for the fabrication of wearable chemical sensors. Traditional materials used for chemical sensors have limitations in terms of robustness and flexibility that hinder their applications as flexible sensors. Various advanced materials have already been investigated to overcome the shortcomings of the traditional chemical sensors with desired performance, commercial viability and productivity at the industrial level. Graphene and its derivatives have evolved to be one of the superior and reliable nanomaterials for the fabrication of wearable sensors owing to their excellent properties as well as cost-effective synthesis with high yield. Chemically derived graphene has tunable properties which have been widely utilized to enhance the performance of the sensors that could be operated in a normal environment. Moreover, the abundant functional groups make graphene derivatives more suitable for surface functionalization. This chapter discussed different forms of graphene and their composite-based flexible chemical sensors and their sensing performances. The potentialities of graphene derivatives in developing smart wearable sensors are also briefly summarized. The challenges and future scope of flexible chemical wearable sensors have also been highlighted.