Over the last 20 years "composite" insulators have been increasingly used in high voltage applications as an alternative traditional materials. More recently, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) have been used as weather sheds on these composite insulators. The main attraction with PDMS is that the surface hydrophobicity can be recovered following pollution or surface discharges. Among the possible mechanisms for recovery the most likely is the migration of low molecular weight silicone oil (LMWS) from the bulk to the surface encapsulating pollutant particles. Although it is widely recognised that the migration of LMWS is the cause of this recovery of hydrophobicity, the mechanism of what actually occurs is not well understood. It is also not known for how long this process will continue. The main objective of this study program was to gain improved understanding of the surface hydrophobic recovery process that is unique to polydimethlysiloxane high-voltage insulators. Fundamental knowledge of this mechanism has been increased through the development of the Contact Angle DRIFT Electrostatic Deposition (CADED) novel analytical technique. This technique enabled study of the degradation of silicone elastomers subjected to high voltage environments by closely following LMWS migration from the bulk material to the surface and linking it to the contact angle measurements. The migration rate data showed that the aged material recovered faster that the virgin material. Differences in the rate and maximum surface levels of silicone were seen between materials from different manufacturers. This has significant implications for the life-time of these materials A model system has been developed to examine LMWS diffusion through the bulk material and into the interface of surface and pollutant. This was achieved by examining theoretical and empirically derived equations and using existing experimental data to better understand the mechanism of recovery. This diffusion was Fickian in the initial stages of recovery. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and contact angle measurements were used to substantiate the degree of degradation in in-field silicone insulators by quantifying the levels of the major degradation products: silica and silica-like material and alumina.

Sistemas de produção in vitro de embriões mamíferos muitas vezes requerem que o cultivo embrionário seja realizado de forma individualizada. Entretanto, os resultados obtidos com o cultivo in vitro (CIV) individual são inconstantes e, por vezes, inferiores ao CIV em grupo. Entre os sistemas que requerem o CIV individual, a técnica de handmade cloning (HMC) se destaca por produzir embriões sem zona pelúcida que não podem ser cultivados agrupados em protocolos convencionais de CIV. O objetivo deste experimento foi determinar as taxas de desenvolvimento in vitro e in vivo de embriões bovinos clonados pela técnica de HMC e submetidos a três diferentes sistemas de CIV em micropoços (Well of the well – WOW), sendo um industrial, confeccionado em polidimetilsiloxano (PDMS), que visou à padronização da configuração do sistema de CIV. Após 11 replicações, de 3.876 complexos cumuli-oócito bovinos maturados in vitro, 3.437 (88,6%) oócitos apresentaram a extrusão do 1º corpúsculo polar. Após a digestão da zona pelúcida, 2.992 estruturas foram bisseccionadas manualmente, com a produção de 2.288 hemi-citoplastos. Reconstruiram-se 1.011 embriões pela adesão de dois hemi-citoplastos a uma célula somática (célula-tronco mesenquimal bovina de uma fêmea adulta da raça Nelore), dos quais 751 (74,2%) embriões fusionaram após eletrofusão, sendo 715 ativados quimicamente. Os embriões clonados (n=705) foram então alocados aleatoriamente em três grupos experimentais para o CIV: Grupo 1 (G1) – micropoço modificado (WOW-modificado, FELTRIN et al., 2006a); Grupo 2 (G2) – micropoço convencional (WOW-convencional , VATJA et al., 2000); e Grupo 3 (G3) – micropoço – PDMS (WOW-PDMS) . Como grupo controle (FIV, Grupo 4, G4), 594 oócitos foram colocados em maturação, fecundação e cultivo in vitro, em paralelo aos grupos clonados. Os resultados das taxas de clivagem no Dia 2, de blastocisto no Dia 7 e de prenhez no Dia 30 de desenvolvimento foram analisados pelo teste do χ2 com nível de significância de 5%. Não houve diferença significativa quanto à taxa de clivagem nos diferentes grupos. Entretanto, a taxa de blastocisto (BL) no G1 (99/239; 41,4%) foi significativamente superior à observada no G2 (72/232; 31,0%) e no G3 (68/234; 29,1%), sendo estas últimas semelhantes entre si. A taxa de BL do grupo controle (315/594; 53,0%) foi superior aos três grupos experimentais. Finalmente, o desenvolvimento in vivo até o Dia 30 de prenhez não diferiu entre os grupos G1 (7/15; 46,7%), G2 (7/13; 53,9%) e G3 (6/16; 50,0%). O sistema em micropoço modificado promoveu melhores condições de CIV a embriões clonados por HMC, traduzido por maiores taxas de BL, não se refletindo, entretanto, em diferenças no desenvolvimento in vivo subseqüente à transferência para fêmeas receptoras. / In vitro production systems for mammalian embryos quite often require embryos to be cultured individually. However, results obtained after individual embryo in vitro culture (IVC) are frequently inconsistent and inferior to IVC in groups. The Handmade Cloning (HMC) procedure is among the systems that require individual IVC, since zona-free embryos cannot be grouped for culture by standard IVC protocols. The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro and in vivo development of bovine embryos cloned by HMC, after the IVC in three distinct microwell arrangements, including an industrial chip, manufactured in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), which aimed to standardize the pattern of the IVC system. After 11 replications, 3,437 (88.6%) oocytes were selected based on the extrusion of the first polar body, out of 3,876 in vitro-matured bovine cumuli-oocyte complexes. Following zona pellucida digestion, 2,992 structures were manually bisected, generating 2,288 hemi-cytoplasts. A total of 1,011 embryos were reconstructed by the adhesion of two hemi-cytoplasts to a somatic cell (bovine mesenchymal stem cells from an adult Nelore female), with 751 fusing (74.2%) following electrofusion, and 715 being chemically activated. Cloned embryos (n=705) were then randomly allocated to one of three IVC experimental groups: Group 1 (G1) – modified microwells (FELTRIN et al., 2006a); Group 2 (G2) – conventional microwells (VATJA et al., 2000); and Group 3 (G3) – microwells in PDMS. As control group (IVF, Group 4, G4), 594 oocytes were in vitro-matured, fertilized and cultured in parallel to the cloned groups. Cleavage, blastocyst and pregnancy rates evaluated on Days 2, 7 and 30 of development were analyzed by the χ2 test, for a significance level of 5%. No differences in cleavage rates were observed between groups. However, blastocyst rates in G1 (99/239; 41.4%) were significantly higher than in G2 (72/232; 31.0%) and in G3 (68/234; 29.1%), which did not differ between one another. Blastocyst rates in the IVF control group (315/594; 53.0%) were in turn higher than in all cloned experimental groups. Finally, in vivo development to Day 30 of pregnancy was not different between G1 (7/15; 46.7%), G2 (7/13; 53.9%) and G3 (6/16; 50.0%). In summary, the modified microwell system promoted superior development to the blastocyst stage than both the conventional and the DMPS-based microwell systems, with no impact on the subsequent in vivo development after transfer to female recipients.

Sistemas de produção in vitro de embriões mamíferos muitas vezes requerem que o cultivo embrionário seja realizado de forma individualizada. Entretanto, os resultados obtidos com o cultivo in vitro (CIV) individual são inconstantes e, por vezes, inferiores ao CIV em grupo. Entre os sistemas que requerem o CIV individual, a técnica de handmade cloning (HMC) se destaca por produzir embriões sem zona pelúcida que não podem ser cultivados agrupados em protocolos convencionais de CIV. O objetivo deste experimento foi determinar as taxas de desenvolvimento in vitro e in vivo de embriões bovinos clonados pela técnica de HMC e submetidos a três diferentes sistemas de CIV em micropoços (Well of the well – WOW), sendo um industrial, confeccionado em polidimetilsiloxano (PDMS), que visou à padronização da configuração do sistema de CIV. Após 11 replicações, de 3.876 complexos cumuli-oócito bovinos maturados in vitro, 3.437 (88,6%) oócitos apresentaram a extrusão do 1º corpúsculo polar. Após a digestão da zona pelúcida, 2.992 estruturas foram bisseccionadas manualmente, com a produção de 2.288 hemi-citoplastos. Reconstruiram-se 1.011 embriões pela adesão de dois hemi-citoplastos a uma célula somática (célula-tronco mesenquimal bovina de uma fêmea adulta da raça Nelore), dos quais 751 (74,2%) embriões fusionaram após eletrofusão, sendo 715 ativados quimicamente. Os embriões clonados (n=705) foram então alocados aleatoriamente em três grupos experimentais para o CIV: Grupo 1 (G1) – micropoço modificado (WOW-modificado, FELTRIN et al., 2006a); Grupo 2 (G2) – micropoço convencional (WOW-convencional , VATJA et al., 2000); e Grupo 3 (G3) – micropoço – PDMS (WOW-PDMS) . Como grupo controle (FIV, Grupo 4, G4), 594 oócitos foram colocados em maturação, fecundação e cultivo in vitro, em paralelo aos grupos clonados. Os resultados das taxas de clivagem no Dia 2, de blastocisto no Dia 7 e de prenhez no Dia 30 de desenvolvimento foram analisados pelo teste do χ2 com nível de significância de 5%. Não houve diferença significativa quanto à taxa de clivagem nos diferentes grupos. Entretanto, a taxa de blastocisto (BL) no G1 (99/239; 41,4%) foi significativamente superior à observada no G2 (72/232; 31,0%) e no G3 (68/234; 29,1%), sendo estas últimas semelhantes entre si. A taxa de BL do grupo controle (315/594; 53,0%) foi superior aos três grupos experimentais. Finalmente, o desenvolvimento in vivo até o Dia 30 de prenhez não diferiu entre os grupos G1 (7/15; 46,7%), G2 (7/13; 53,9%) e G3 (6/16; 50,0%). O sistema em micropoço modificado promoveu melhores condições de CIV a embriões clonados por HMC, traduzido por maiores taxas de BL, não se refletindo, entretanto, em diferenças no desenvolvimento in vivo subseqüente à transferência para fêmeas receptoras. / In vitro production systems for mammalian embryos quite often require embryos to be cultured individually. However, results obtained after individual embryo in vitro culture (IVC) are frequently inconsistent and inferior to IVC in groups. The Handmade Cloning (HMC) procedure is among the systems that require individual IVC, since zona-free embryos cannot be grouped for culture by standard IVC protocols. The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro and in vivo development of bovine embryos cloned by HMC, after the IVC in three distinct microwell arrangements, including an industrial chip, manufactured in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), which aimed to standardize the pattern of the IVC system. After 11 replications, 3,437 (88.6%) oocytes were selected based on the extrusion of the first polar body, out of 3,876 in vitro-matured bovine cumuli-oocyte complexes. Following zona pellucida digestion, 2,992 structures were manually bisected, generating 2,288 hemi-cytoplasts. A total of 1,011 embryos were reconstructed by the adhesion of two hemi-cytoplasts to a somatic cell (bovine mesenchymal stem cells from an adult Nelore female), with 751 fusing (74.2%) following electrofusion, and 715 being chemically activated. Cloned embryos (n=705) were then randomly allocated to one of three IVC experimental groups: Group 1 (G1) – modified microwells (FELTRIN et al., 2006a); Group 2 (G2) – conventional microwells (VATJA et al., 2000); and Group 3 (G3) – microwells in PDMS. As control group (IVF, Group 4, G4), 594 oocytes were in vitro-matured, fertilized and cultured in parallel to the cloned groups. Cleavage, blastocyst and pregnancy rates evaluated on Days 2, 7 and 30 of development were analyzed by the χ2 test, for a significance level of 5%. No differences in cleavage rates were observed between groups. However, blastocyst rates in G1 (99/239; 41.4%) were significantly higher than in G2 (72/232; 31.0%) and in G3 (68/234; 29.1%), which did not differ between one another. Blastocyst rates in the IVF control group (315/594; 53.0%) were in turn higher than in all cloned experimental groups. Finally, in vivo development to Day 30 of pregnancy was not different between G1 (7/15; 46.7%), G2 (7/13; 53.9%) and G3 (6/16; 50.0%). In summary, the modified microwell system promoted superior development to the blastocyst stage than both the conventional and the DMPS-based microwell systems, with no impact on the subsequent in vivo development after transfer to female recipients.

Extraction is required to separate and concentrate trace level analytes from the sample matrix prior to gas chromatography (GC). Classical extraction procedures utilise large amounts of hazardous solvents, generate waste, and sensitivity limitations are associated with the injection of microlitre amounts of the final solvent extract. In response to real world challenges, and to overcome the problems associated with solvent extraction, novel silicone rubber (polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)) samplers were developed for solvent free enrichment of trace level analytes from indoor air, contaminated soil, desert soil, ultra high temperature (UHT) milk and Pinotage wine. Versatile PDMS samplers as a loop, a multichannel trap, or a denuder for trace environmental forensics, geochemical and aroma investigations are presented. A unique off-line multidimensional GC approach involving heart-cut gas chromatographic fraction collection is described, as is off-line olfactory assessment of recombined heart-cuts for synergistic odour effects. PDMS loop samplers were used for the extraction of DDT (1,1,1- trichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethane) and its associated environmental pollutants from soil samples. Miniature denuder samplers accomplished separate concentration of vapour phase and of particulate phase fractions of DDT and its associated environmental pollutants from indoor air, in a single step. Ratios of airborne p,p’-DDD/p,p’-DDT and of o,p’-DDT/p,p’-DDT are unusual and do not match the ideal certified ingredient composition required of commercial DDT. Results suggest that commercial DDT used for indoor residual spraying may have been compromised with regards to insecticidal efficacy, demonstrating the power of this new environmental forensics tool. Multichannel PDMS trap samplers were used in a unique heart-cut multidimensional GC approach for off-line enantiomeric separation of o,p’-DDT and o,p’-DDD in air and soil. This alternative multidimensional method is compared to the complementary technique of comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometry detection (GCxGC-TOFMS). PDMS loop samplers were also employed for the solvent free extraction of hydrocarbons from desert soil to investigate, for the first time, a possible geochemical origin of the enigmatic fairy circles of Namibia. It is proposed that microseepages of natural gas and low volatility hydrocarbons are expressed at the surface as a geobotanical anomaly of barren circles and circles of altered vegetation. Multichannel PDMS trap samplers were utilised for sampling of the headspace of UHT milk and of Pinotage wine, and to study off-line, using a portable olfactometer, synergistic effects between recombined heart-cut aroma compounds. Olfactory results show that a synergistic combination of 2- heptanone and 2-nonanone was responsible for a pungent cheese-like odour in UHT milk, while a synergistic combination of furfural and 2-furanmethanol was responsible for a roast coffee bean-like odour in coffee style Pinotage wine. The small, low cost samplers are quick and easy to assemble and they fit commercial thermal desorber systems. The PDMS samplers are reusable. Solvent extraction of the sampling materials, extract clean-up and pre-concentration are not required. Thus, potential loss of analyte, introduction of contaminants and waste disposal are minimised. Solvent free thermal desorption permits transfer of the entire sample mass to the cooled injection system (CIS) inlet of a GC resulting in greater sensitivity when compared to injection of microlitre amounts of a solvent extract. This allowed for sampling of smaller sized soil samples, shorter air sampling times and lower air sampling flow rates when compared to solvent based methods. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / Chemistry / unrestricted

Estrogens, alkylphenols and bisphenol-A, enter the environment through waste water systems and waste disposal of manufactured products e.g. detergents, paints, polycarbonates and flameretardants. These analytes disrupt the endocrine function of living organisms affecting their reproductive health and those of future generations. Gas phase low molecular- mass aldehydes and amines are typically eye, nose, and throat irritants. Formaldehyde is classified as a probable human carcinogen. Given their negative impact on human health it is urgent to monitor pollutants at extremely low levels in both air and water. The aqueous pollutants are often concentrated using solid phase extraction cartridges or liquid-liquid extraction followed by derivatization. Methods that can most effectively and selectively pre-concentrate aldehydes and amines involve in situ derivatization. Unfortunately, the derivatizing reagents as well as their associated solvents or adsorbents, are responsible for problems encountered with these methods. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) has emerged as the ideal concentration and reaction medium for trace analysis. However the expensive commercial devices such as SPME and SBSE both require the samples to be returned to the laboratory for concentration. Due to the open tubular nature of the PDMS multichannel trap (MCT), developed in our laboratory, it is ideally suited for on-site and online sampling. The MCTs have a high analyte capacity owing to the large volume of PDMS available for concentration. The derivatization reaction can be performed in situ providing a “onepot concentration and reaction device”. This allows for reduced risk of contamination of / or losses of the sample and a sampling method that can cater for both air and water samples. To demonstrate the versatility of the PDMS MCT, two approaches for concentration in PDMS were investigated in this study, namely, 1) the on-line concentration and in situ derivatization of volatile polar analytes from air followed by REMPI-TOFMS detection, and 2) the concentration of phenolic lipophilic analytes from water requiring derivatization prior to analysis by GC/MS. 1) Analyte and derivatizing reagent were simultaneously introduced into the PDMS trap using a ypress- fit connector. The reaction occurs in situ followed by thermal desorption using a thermal modulator array alone or in conjunction with a thermal desorption unit. The aldehydes and amine derivatives were successfully detected by the REMPI-TOFMS. Reaction efficiencies were determined at room temperature without catalysts. Formaldehyde yielded a low reaction/concentration efficiency of 41 % with phenylhydrazine in PDMS, while acetaldehyde, acrolein and crotonal displayed much improved values of 92, 61 and 74 % respectively. Both propylamine and butylamine yielded 28 % reaction/concentration efficiency with benzaldehyde in the PDMS matrix. Detection limits obtained with this technique were significantly lower than the permissible exposure limits set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. It should be noted that the detection limits were not determined by actual measurement but by extrapolation from a larger signal. 2) Aqueous analytes were concentrated in the PDMS MCT using a gravity flow rate of ~50 ìl/min. The trap was dried and 5 ìl derivatizing reagent added. At room temperature and without the presence of a catalyst, the reaction of alkylphenols with trifluoroacetic acid anhydride in the PDMS matrix was 100% complete after 5 minutes. Bisphenol-A reacted less than 50 % to completion during this period, but the amount of derivative formed remained constant. This study revealed that extraction efficiencies of the alkylphenols and bisphenol-A off the PDMS trap have poor batch-tobatch repeatability indicating that the PDMS matrix was not homogenous. For two different PDMS batches: tert-octylphenol displayed an extraction efficiency of 70 and 79%, nonylphenol displayed 84 and 43% while Bisphenol-A displayed 10 and 26% respectively. The thermally desorbed derivatives were analysed by GC/MS. Despite background contamination in the desorption unit, detection limits were at the ppt level. Detection limits were not determined by actual measurement but by extrapolation from a larger signal. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Chemistry / unrestricted

The Thesis solves the issue of a design and construction of piping specifically focused on boiler apparatus and its equipment. This issue is important for creation of the piping classes in the (PDMS) programmes and for acceleration of output parameters which are mainly the temperature, materials, variable parameters, etc. This leads to other problems such as service life, security, economy, etc., are.

The thesis is focused on the development of the electrochemical system with microfluidic platform for the detection of multiple biomarkers. It analyses the use of biomarkers for the early diagnosis of cancer. The theoretical part contains basic information about voltammetric methods and microfluidic systems. The practical part provides solutions to the microfluidic chips, including the description of the used materials, designs, methodologies of preparation and conclusions from the testing of the manufactured microfluidic systems. The thesis describes the lock-in electrochemical system which measures the response of 4 electrochemical cells simultaneously. For the electrochemical system measurements, an electrochemical chip consisting of 64 electrochemical cells was used. The results of the analysis include the processing of the system tests and detected voltammetric curves of the Fe2+/Fe3+ solution and cysteine.

<p>Microparticles have been investigated not only as feedstock spherical or amorphous bulk materials used for shape molding, but also as agents that can perform work in the micron scale. The fabrication of microparticles with active properties of self-propulsion, self-assembly, and mobility with enhanced mechanical, thermal, and chemical properties is of particular interest for emerging technologies such as drug delivery, micro-robotics, micro energy generation/harvesting, and MEMS. Conventional fabrication methods can produce several complex particle shapes in one fabrication session or hundreds of spheroid shaped particles per second. Innovative techniques, as flow lithography, have demonstrated control over particle form and composition for continuous fabrication cycles. In recent years predefined shape polymer microparticles have been fabricated as well as ceramic microparticles through suspension processing with these set of techniques. Even though ceramic materials have been fabricated, there is still a strong need to increment the palette of available materials to be processed via flow lithography. We have pioneered the production of shaped ceramic microparticles by Stop-Flow Lithography (SFL) using preceramic polymers, providing control of particle size and shape in the range of 1 – 1000 μm. The principal arranged technique (SFL) combines aspects of PDMS-based microfluidics and photolithography for the continuous cyclable fabrication of microparticles with predefined shapes. The PDMS microchannel devices used were fabricated with vinyl film molds in a laminar hood avoiding the need for a cleanroom, procedure that reduced fabrication costs. After a fabrication session, the preceramic polymer microparticles were collected, washed, and dried before entering an inert atmosphere furnace for pyrolysis. Additionally, by treating the material initially as liquid polymer, special properties can be added by converting it into an emulsion or a suspension. Microparticles were functionalized by introducing porosity and magnetic nanoparticles in the preceramic polymer matrix. The porous characteristic of a particle leads to an increase in surface area, allowing the particle to be infiltrated with a catalyzer or act as a chemical/physical carrier, and the magnetic behavior of the particles allows a controllable trajectory with defined external magnetic fields. These two properties can be used to fabricate bifunctional microparticles to serve as drug carriers through human arteries and veins for drug delivery purposes. We successfully fabricated solid and functional ceramic microparticles in the 10 – 50 μm range with predefined shapes as hexagons, gears, triangles, and ovals. This system is an economical route to fabricate functional defined shape particles that can serve as microrobots to perform tasks in liquid media.</p>

Sepsis, commonly referred to as blood poisoning, is a serious medical condition characterized by a whole-body inflammatory state caused by microbial infection. Rapid treatment is crucial, however, traditional culture-based diagnostics usually takes 2-5 days.  The overall aim of the thesis is to develop microfluidic based sample preparation strategies, capable of isolating bacteria from whole blood for rapid sepsis diagnostics.  Although emerging technologies, such as microfluidics and “lab-on-a-chip” (LOC) devices have the potential to spur the development of protocols and affordable instruments, most often sample preparation is performed manually with procedures that involve handling steps prone to introducing artifacts, require skilled technicians and well-equipped, expensive laboratories.  Here, we propose the development of methods for fast and efficient sample preparation that can isolate bacteria from whole blood by using microfluidic techniques with potential to be incorporated in LOC systems. We have developed two means for high throughput bacteria isolation: size based sorting and selective lysis of blood cells. To process the large blood samples needed in sepsis diagnostics, we introduce novel manufacturing techniques that enable scalable parallelization for increased throughput in miniaturized devices. The novel manufacturing technique uses a flexible transfer carrier sheet, water-dissolvable release material, poly(vinyl alcohol), and a controlled polymerization inhibitor to enable highly complex polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) structures containing thin membranes and 3D fluidic networks. The size based sorting utilizes inertial microfluidics, a novel particles focusing method that operates at extremely high flow rates. Inertial focusing in flow through a single inlet and two outlet, scalable parallel channel devices, was demonstrated with filtration efficiency of &gt;95% and a flowrate of 3.2 mL/min. Finally, we have developed a novel microfluidic based sample preparation strategy to continuously isolate bacteria from whole blood for downstream analysis. The method takes advantage of the fact that bacteria cells have a rigid cell wall protecting the cell, while blood cells are much more susceptible to chemical lysis. Whole blood is continuously mixed with saponin for primary lysis, followed by osmotic shock in water. We obtained complete lysis of all blood cells, while more than 80% of the bacteria were readily recovered for downstream processing. Altogether, we have provided new bacteria isolation methods, and improved the manufacturing techniques and microfluidic components that, combined offer the potential for affordable and effective sample preparation for subsequent pathogen identification, all in an automated LOC format. / QC 20120611

This thesis aims to develop a new type of highly stretchable strain sensor to measure large deformation of a specimen subjected to dynamic loading. The sensor was based on the piezo-resistive response of carbon nanotube(CNT)/polydimethysiloxane (PDMS) composites thin films, some nickel particles were added into the sensor composite to improve the sensor performance. The piezo-resistive response of CNT composite gives high frequency response in strain measurement, while the ultra-soft PDMS matrix provides high flexibility and ductility for large strain measuring large strain (up to 26%) with an excellent linearity and a fast frequency response under quasi-static test, the delay time for high strain rate test is just 30 μs. This stretchable strain sensor is also able to exhibit much higher sensitivities, with a gauge factor of as high as 80, than conventional foil strain gauges.