Carbon nanomaterials have gradually demonstrated their superiority for in-line process\nmonitoring of high-performance composites. To explore the advantages of structures, properties, as well\nas sensing mechanisms, three types of carbon nanomaterials-based fiber sensors, namely, carbon\nnanotube-coated fibers, reduced graphene oxide-coated fibers, and carbon fibers, were produced\nand used as key sensing elements embedded in fabrics for monitoring the manufacturing process of\nfiber-reinforced polymeric composites. Detailed microstructural characterizations were performed\nthrough SEM and Raman analyses. The resistance change of the smart fabric was monitored in\nthe real-time process of composite manufacturing. By systematically analyzing the piezoresistive\nperformance, a three-stage sensing behavior has been achieved for registering resin infiltration,\ngelation, cross-linking, and post-curing. In the first stage, the incorporation of resin expands\nthe packing structure of various sensing media and introduces different levels of increases in the\nresistance. In the second stage, the concomitant resin shrinkage dominates the resistance attenuation\nafter reaching the maximum level. In the last stage, the diminished shrinkage effect competes with the\ndisruption of the conducting network, resulting in continuous rising or depressing of the resistance.
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