Flexible and wearable strain sensors play a crucial role in emerging technologies such as soft robotics, human–machine interfaces, and motion monitoring systems. However, many existing flexible strain sensors rely on damage-related sensing mechanisms, which often result in signal drift, hysteresis, and fatigue-induced degradation during long-term cyclic deformation. In this work, a flexible strain sensor based on MoS 2 van der Waals films is developed, in which the sensing behavior is dominated by reversible interlayer sliding between stacked nanosheets. This mechanism allows the film to accommodate repeated mechanical deformation while maintaining a stable and predictable electrical response.
The MoS 2 films are fabricated through vacuum filtration of electrochemically exfoliated nanosheets and subsequently integrated with PDMS elastomer substrate. Efficient interfacial coupling ensures reliable strain transfer from the elastomer to the MoS 2 film while preserving mechanical integrity under repeated stretching. Electrical characterization demonstrates a highly linear resistance–strain relationship with minimal hysteresis over a wide strain range. Notably, the electrical response remains stable over more than 40000 stretching cycles, indicating excellent durability under cyclic loading. High linearity and repeatability are critical for applications requiring accurate deformation sensing, such as motion tracking and closed-loop control in soft machines. The interlayer sliding–dominated sensing mechanism enables reliable signal output even under continuous and complex deformation conditions. To evaluate practical applicability, the strain sensor is integrated into a flexible gripper system as a representative soft robotic platform. The sensor successfully monitors deformation during gripping and releasing processes, demonstrating its suitability for soft robotic manipulation and human–machine interaction.
Overall, this study establishes interlayer sliding in van der Waals films as an effective design principle for flexible strain sensors. The strategy can potentially be extended to other layered materials, offering new opportunities for the development of durable and reliable deformable electronic devices for wearable electronics and soft robotic systems.
DOI Link:
https://doi.org/10.26599/NR.2026.94908866
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Nano Research is a peer-reviewed, open access, international and interdisciplinary research journal, sponsored by Tsinghua University and the Chinese Chemical Society, published by Tsinghua University Press on the platform SciOpen. It publishes original high-quality research and significant review articles on all aspects of nanoscience and nanotechnology, ranging from basic aspects of the science of nanoscale materials to practical applications of such materials. After 18 years of development, it has become one of the most influential academic journals in the nano field. Nano Research has published more than 1,000 papers every year from 2022, with its cumulative count surpassing 8,000 articles. In 2025 InCites Journal Citation Reports, its 2025 IF is 9.4 (8.3, 5 years), and it continues to be the Q1 area among the four subject classifications. Nano Research Award, established by Nano Research together with TUP and Springer Nature in 2013, and Nano Research Young Innovators (NR45) Awards, established by Nano Research in 2018, have become international academic awards with global influence.
Nano Research
A highly linear and durable flexible strain sensor based on MoS₂ van der Waals films for soft machines
22-May-2026