A Carbohydrate-based Elastomer with Tunable Properties for Sensing Applications
- PDF / 630,568 Bytes
- 5 Pages / 432 x 648 pts Page_size
- 104 Downloads / 203 Views
MRS Advances © 2018 Materials Research Society DOI: 10.1557/adv.2018.95
A Carbohydrate-based Elastomer with Tunable Properties for Sensing Applications Haoran Liu1, Jun Ge1, Xiao Lin1, Huilin Yang1,2, Lei Yang1,2 * 1
Department of Orthopaedics and Orthopaedic Institute, the First Affiliated Hospital, Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215006, P.R. China.
2
International Research Center for Translational Orthopaedics (IRCTO), Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215006, P.R. China.
*Corresponding author: Lei Yang, Ph.D., Room 313 Building #1, South Campus of Soochow University, 708 Renmin Road, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215006, P.R. China. Email: [email protected]; Phone: +86-512-67781540; Fax: +86-512-67781165
ABSTRACT
Flexible sensors are fundamental components of flexible electronics allowing a great number of applications from compliant robots to biomonitoring devices. The present work developed a carbohydrate-based elastomer (CBE) which possesses flexibility and tunable properties to meet the requirements of several sensing applications. Specifically, CBE was engineered to have high elasticity and sensing capabilities to humidity, stress and strain, enabling possible applications for monitoring physiological and external mechanical stimuli. These sensing capabilities of CBE were also adjustable to meet the requirements of applications such as electronic skin and wearable electronics.
INTRODUCTION Electronics materials that possess sensing capabilities receive increasing attention due to their potential in a wide range of applications from robotics to wearable devices[1, 2]. The sensing capabilities also enable a variety of enhanced smart functions in the exisiting electonic systems. For instance, when used in robotics, the ability to sense and collect complex external information could help robots understand their surroundings and achieve more dynamic and challenging tasks, such as rescue missions or caring for the elderly[3]. In wearable biomedical devices, these sensing devices can offer real-time physiological signal monitoring. Advances in these fields could help doctors and family members immediately receive the patients’ or the elderly’s health condition when combined with the Internet of Things (IoT), and offer patients and the elderly a better health care and improved life quality[4]. In order to better accommodate different application scenarios, such as the demand of sensing complex environment and wearable monitoring of body conditions, the sensors are often required to be flexible and responsible to multiple stimuli [5]. To develop a new robust material with multi-stimuli sensing ability and flexibility, a strategy of mixing starch hydrogel and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) was developed and a flexible carbohydrate-based elastomer (CBE) was reported here. The previously developed starch hydrogel is conductive and adhesive [6] yet is too fluidy and lack of mechanical strength. Considering the favorable elastic properties of PDMS, the present study incorperated starch hydrogel to the matrix of PDMS, formin
Data Loading...
