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White A, Little I, Artyuk A, McKibben N, Kouchi FR, Chen C, Estrada D, Deng Z. On-demand fabrication of piezoelectric sensors for in-space structural health monitoring. SMART MATERIALS & STRUCTURES 2024; 33:055053. [PMID: 39119070 PMCID: PMC11308337 DOI: 10.1088/1361-665x/ad3d16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/10/2024]
Abstract
Inflatable structures, promising for future deep space exploration missions, are vulnerable to damage from micrometeoroid and orbital debris impacts. Polyvinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene (PVDF-trFE) is a flexible, biocompatible, and chemical-resistant material capable of detecting impact forces due to its piezoelectric properties. This study used a state-of-the-art material extrusion system that has been validated for in-space manufacturing, to facilitate fast-prototyping of consistent and uniform PVDF-trFE films. By systematically investigating ink synthesis, printer settings, and post-processing conditions, this research established a comprehensive understanding of the process-structure-property relationship of printed PVDF-trFE. Consequently, this study consistently achieved the printing of PVDF-trFE films with a thickness of around 40 μm, accompanied by an impressive piezoelectric coefficient of up to 25 pC N-1. Additionally, an all-printed dynamic force sensor, featuring a sensitivity of 1.18 V N-1, was produced by mix printing commercial electrically-conductive silver inks with the customized PVDF-trFE inks. This pioneering on-demand fabrication technique for PVDF-trFE films empowers future astronauts to design and manufacture piezoelectric sensors while in space, thereby significantly enhancing the affordability and sustainability of deep space exploration missions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda White
- Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, United States of America
| | - Isaac Little
- Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, United States of America
| | - Anastasiya Artyuk
- Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, United States of America
| | - Nicholas McKibben
- Micron School of Materials Science and Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, United States of America
| | - Fereshteh Rajabi Kouchi
- Micron School of Materials Science and Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, United States of America
| | - Claire Chen
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States of America
| | - David Estrada
- Micron School of Materials Science and Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, United States of America
- Center for Advanced Energy Studies (CAES), Idaho Falls, ID 83401, United States of America
| | - Zhangxian Deng
- Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725, United States of America
- Center for Advanced Energy Studies (CAES), Idaho Falls, ID 83401, United States of America
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Li B, Cai C, Liu Y, Wang F, Yang B, Li Q, Zhang P, Deng B, Hou P, Liu W. Ultrasensitive mechanical/thermal response of a P(VDF-TrFE) sensor with a tailored network interconnection interface. Nat Commun 2023; 14:4000. [PMID: 37414757 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-39476-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Ferroelectric polymers have great potential applications in mechanical/thermal sensing, but their sensitivity and detection limit are still not outstanding. We propose interface engineering to improve the charge collection in a ferroelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-trifluoroethylene) copolymer (P(VDF-TrFE)) thin film via cross-linking with poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) doped with polystyrenesulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) layer. The as-fabricated P(VDF-TrFE)/PEDOT:PSS composite film exhibits an ultrasensitive and linear mechanical/thermal response, showing sensitivities of 2.2 V kPa-1 in the pressure range of 0.025-100 kPa and 6.4 V K-1 in the temperature change range of 0.05-10 K. A corresponding piezoelectric coefficient of -86 pC N-1 and a pyroelectric coefficient of 95 μC m-2 K-1 are achieved because more charge is collected by the network interconnection interface between PEDOT:PSS and P(VDF-TrFE), related to the increase in the dielectric properties. Our work shines a light on a device-level technique route for boosting the sensitivity of ferroelectric polymer sensors through electrode interface engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Li
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China.
| | - Chuanyang Cai
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Xiangtan University, Hunan, Xiangtan, 411105, China
| | - Yang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Material Processing and Die & Mould Technology, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science & Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Fang Wang
- Institute of Biomedical & Health Engineering, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology (SIAT), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Shenzhen, 518055, China
| | - Bin Yang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China
| | - Qikai Li
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China
| | - Pengxiang Zhang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China
| | - Biao Deng
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China
| | - Pengfei Hou
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Xiangtan University, Hunan, Xiangtan, 411105, China.
| | - Weishu Liu
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China.
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Selleri G, Mongioì F, Maccaferri E, D’Anniballe R, Mazzocchetti L, Carloni R, Fabiani D, Zucchelli A, Brugo TM. Self-Sensing Soft Skin Based on Piezoelectric Nanofibers. Polymers (Basel) 2023; 15:polym15020280. [PMID: 36679163 PMCID: PMC9863653 DOI: 10.3390/polym15020280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2022] [Revised: 12/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/31/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The development of electronic skins and wearable devices is rapidly growing due to their broad application fields, such as for biomedical, health monitoring, or robotic purposes. In particular, tactile sensors based on piezoelectric polymers, which feature self-powering capability, have been widely used thanks to their flexibility and light weight. Among these, poly(vinylidenefluoride-trifluoroethylene) (PVDF-TrFE) presents enhanced piezoelectric properties, especially if manufactured in a nanofiber shape. In this work, the enhanced piezoelectric performances of PVDF-TrFE nanofibers were exploited to manufacture a flexible sensor which can be used for wearable applications or e-skin. The piezoelectric signal was collected by carbon black (CB)-based electrodes, which were added to the active layer in a sandwich-like structure. The sensor was electromechanically characterized in a frequency range between 0.25 Hz and 20 Hz-which is consistent with human activities (i.e., gait cycle or accidental bumps)-showing a sensitivity of up to 4 mV/N. The parameters of the signal acquisition circuit were tuned to enable the sensor to work at the required frequency. The proposed electrical model of the nanofibrous piezoelectric sensor was validated by the experimental results. The sensitivity of the sensor remained above 77.5% of its original value after 106 cycles of fatigue testing with a 1 kN compressive force.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giacomo Selleri
- Department of Electrical, Electronic, and Information Engineering, University of Bologna, Viale Risorgimento 2, 40136 Bologna, Italy
| | - Francesco Mongioì
- Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Bologna, Viale Risorgimento 2, 40136 Bologna, Italy
| | - Emanuele Maccaferri
- Department of Industrial Chemistry “Toso Montanari”, University of Bologna, Viale Risorgimento 4, 40136 Bologna, Italy
| | - Riccardo D’Anniballe
- Faculty of Science and Engineering—Bernoulli Institute for Mathematics, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 9, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Laura Mazzocchetti
- Department of Industrial Chemistry “Toso Montanari”, University of Bologna, Viale Risorgimento 4, 40136 Bologna, Italy
| | - Raffaella Carloni
- Faculty of Science and Engineering—Bernoulli Institute for Mathematics, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 9, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Davide Fabiani
- Department of Electrical, Electronic, and Information Engineering, University of Bologna, Viale Risorgimento 2, 40136 Bologna, Italy
| | - Andrea Zucchelli
- Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Bologna, Viale Risorgimento 2, 40136 Bologna, Italy
| | - Tommaso Maria Brugo
- Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Bologna, Viale Risorgimento 2, 40136 Bologna, Italy
- Correspondence:
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All-Printed Flexible Memristor with Metal–Non-Metal-Doped TiO2 Nanoparticle Thin Films. NANOMATERIALS 2022; 12:nano12132289. [PMID: 35808124 PMCID: PMC9268177 DOI: 10.3390/nano12132289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2022] [Revised: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
A memristor is a fundamental electronic device that operates like a biological synapse and is considered as the solution of classical von Neumann computers. Here, a fully printed and flexible memristor is fabricated by depositing a thin film of metal–non-metal (chromium-nitrogen)-doped titanium dioxide (TiO2). The resulting device exhibited enhanced performance with self-rectifying and forming free bipolar switching behavior. Doping was performed to bring stability in the performance of the memristor by controlling the defects and impurity levels. The forming free memristor exhibited characteristic behavior of bipolar resistive switching with a high on/off ratio (2.5 × 103), high endurance (500 cycles), long retention time (5 × 103 s) and low operating voltage (±1 V). Doping the thin film of TiO2 with metal–non-metal had a significant effect on the switching properties and conduction mechanism as it directly affected the energy bandgap by lowering it from 3.2 eV to 2.76 eV. Doping enhanced the mobility of charge carriers and eased the process of filament formation by suppressing its randomness between electrodes under the applied electric field. Furthermore, metal–non-metal-doped TiO2 thin film exhibited less switching current and improved non-linearity by controlling the surface defects.
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