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Investigation of the electromechanical properties of bending sensor based on piezoresistive polymeric cantilever
Semester or Master projects for fabrication and characterization of the piezoresistive polymeric sensor using nanowire networks.
Keywords: Polymer photolithography, nanowires and nanoparticles, bending sensor, AFM cantilever
Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a widely used technique not only for material science at sub-micron scale but also for biology at the single-cell or single-molecule level. The optical beam deflection (OBD) is a commonly used detection method for the cantilever deflection, but it requires complex instrumentation and is not desirable for multiplexing several cantilevers. Piezoresistors represent an attractive alternative to OBD as a deflection sensor since it is simple and offers various applications (Fig.1).
We have developed piezoresistive self-sensing SU-8 cantilevers using silver nanowires. SU-8 is an epoxy-based negative photoresist, which has proven to be a promising polymer for microfabrication. Thanks to the low SU-8 Young’s Modulus, higher force sensitivity can be obtained for a higher accuracy. To integrate the sensing materials in the polymer, nanowires are transferred and patterned to form microelectrode structures, then embedded into the SU-8 layer (Fig.2).
Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a widely used technique not only for material science at sub-micron scale but also for biology at the single-cell or single-molecule level. The optical beam deflection (OBD) is a commonly used detection method for the cantilever deflection, but it requires complex instrumentation and is not desirable for multiplexing several cantilevers. Piezoresistors represent an attractive alternative to OBD as a deflection sensor since it is simple and offers various applications (Fig.1). We have developed piezoresistive self-sensing SU-8 cantilevers using silver nanowires. SU-8 is an epoxy-based negative photoresist, which has proven to be a promising polymer for microfabrication. Thanks to the low SU-8 Young’s Modulus, higher force sensitivity can be obtained for a higher accuracy. To integrate the sensing materials in the polymer, nanowires are transferred and patterned to form microelectrode structures, then embedded into the SU-8 layer (Fig.2).
There are several topics could be investigated further in Semester or Master projects,
1. Optimization of the experimental set-up for the improved electrical measurement of the fabricated devices
2. Fabrication and analysis of the different electromechanical behavior of the bending sensor.
3. Examine gauge factor, linearity and hysteresis of the sensors.
You will learn
- Polymer microfabrication (SU-8 and PDMS photolithography)
- Nanomaterial(metal nanowires or nanoparticles) deposition and transfer
- Electrical measurement of the strain sensor - AFM techniques and measurements
Requirements you should fulfill
- Motivation and interested in micro/bioelectronics
- Solid understanding of electronics and mechanics - The student is expected to get familiar with the project and work independently
There are several topics could be investigated further in Semester or Master projects,
1. Optimization of the experimental set-up for the improved electrical measurement of the fabricated devices
2. Fabrication and analysis of the different electromechanical behavior of the bending sensor.
3. Examine gauge factor, linearity and hysteresis of the sensors.
You will learn - Polymer microfabrication (SU-8 and PDMS photolithography) - Nanomaterial(metal nanowires or nanoparticles) deposition and transfer - Electrical measurement of the strain sensor - AFM techniques and measurements
Requirements you should fulfill - Motivation and interested in micro/bioelectronics - Solid understanding of electronics and mechanics - The student is expected to get familiar with the project and work independently