Abstract: This paper discusses the relationship between the resistance of stretchable elastic wires, made by injecting water-based carbon nanotube slurry into rubber tubes, and the bending angle and stretching length of the wires under two conditions: bending and straight stretching. Experimental results show that, under straight stretching, the change in resistance has a strong linear correlation with the stretching length. Under bending, a functional relationship is also observed. This paper attempts to explain these patterns using conductive channel theory and quantum tunneling effect. After establishing the relationship between the degree of bending and stretching of the wire and its resistance, the wires changes can be measured by its resistance in practical applications. This offers broad potential for applications in robotics, flexible electronics, wearable devices, and more.

Key words: conductive composites, stretchable carbon nanotube, nonlinear, resistance-strain response performance, flexible electronics