Newly Developed Nanofiber-Type Pressure Sensor Measures Pressure Distribution of Rounded Surfaces
Pressure sensors have sufficient flexibility to fit to soft surfaces like the human skin,
despite this, conventional pressure sensors are unable to accurately measure
the changes in pressure when they are wrinkled or twisted. This means the
pressure sensors are unsuitable for use on moving and complex surfaces. Another
disadvantage is that the sensors cannot be easily reduced to below 100 µm
thickness due to restrictions in current production methods.
The issues were
addressed by an international research team headed by Dr. Sungwon Lee and
Professor Takao Someya of the University
of Tokyo's Graduate
School of Engineering. The team created a nanofiber-type pressure sensor to
measure pressure distribution of rounded surfaces - like an inflated balloon -
and maintain the sensing accuracy, even if the rounded surface is bent
over a radius of 80 µm, which is equal to twice the width of human hair. The
pressure sensor is capable of simultaneously measuring the pressure in 144
locations, and has a thickness of roughly 8 µm.
This equipment
used in this research includes a pressure sensitive nanofiber structure,
electronic switches manufactured from oxygen and carbon based organic
materials, and organic transistors. Nanofibers with a diameter ranging from 300
to 700 nm were developed by adding graphene and carbon nanotubes to an elastic
polymer. The nanofibers were then twisted together to develop a light, thin and
transparent porous structure.
We've also
tested the performance of our pressure sensor with an artificial blood vessel
and found that it could detect small pressure changes and speed of pressure
propagation, Flexible electronics have great potential for implantable and
wearable devices. I realized that many groups are developing flexible sensors
that can measure pressure but none of them are suitable for measuring real
objects since they are sensitive to distortion. That was my main motivation and
I think we have proposed an effective solution to this problem.
没有评论:
发表评论