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K. Jeyapandian,
M HemaPriya,
J. Faney,
- Research Scholar, Department of Architectural Engineering, Bharath Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
- Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Bharath Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
- Research Scholar, Department of Civil Engineering, Bharath Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Abstract
Smart polymer composite sensors have attracted attention as a possible solution for structural health monitoring (SHM) because of the capability to combine structure and sensor in one material system. The presence of conductive particles, reinforcing fibers, nanomaterials, and functional polymers leads to the creation of composite materials, which possess the ability to detect strains, deformations, cracks, vibrations, and any other kind of structural damages. This review provides a summary of the latest developments in smart polymer composite sensors with a focus on the interrelations between the properties of the polymer matrix, reinforcement, conducting filler, sensing mechanism, manufacturing technology, and sensing properties of the sensors. The main sensor types such as piezoresistive, piezoelectric, capacitive, fiber optic and self-sensing sensors are described in terms of the principles of work, strengths, weaknesses and application in SHM. In addition, the role of carbon nanotubes, graphene-based materials, carbon black, MXenes, and other functional nanomaterials is analyzed due to the significant importance of their usage.
Smart polymer composite sensors have gained interest as one potential option for structural health monitoring (SHM) thanks to the possibility to integrate structure and sensor into one system. Presence of conductive fillers, reinforcing fibers, nanomaterials and functional polymers results in the creation of composite materials with the capability of strain, deformation, crack, vibration or any other structural damage detection. This paper reviews recent progress made in smart polymer composite sensors with emphasis on correlations between the properties of polymer matrix, reinforcement, conducting filler, sensing principle, fabrication process and sensing properties of the sensors. Various types of sensors such as piezoresistive, piezoelectric, capacitive, fiber optic and self-sensing are explained according to the working principle, advantages and disadvantages as well as their application in SHM. Besides that, the importance of carbon nanotubes, graphene and its derivatives, carbon black, MXenes and other functional nanomaterials in sensor fabrication is discussed.
Keywords: Smart polymer composites, Structural health monitoring, Polymer composite sensors, Piezoresistive sensing, Carbon nanotubes, Graphene nanoplatelets, Self-sensing composites.
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Journal of Polymer & Composites
| Volume | 14 | |
| 05 | ||
| Received | 17/08/2026 | |
| Accepted | 14/09/2026 | |
| Published | 03/11/2026 | |
| Publication Time | 78 Days |