Periodic Tubular Structures and Phononic Crystals towards High-Q Liquid Ultrasonic Inline Sensors for Pipes

Theoretical optimisation of a novel gas sensor using periodically closed resonators

This study investigates using the phononic crystal with periodically closed resonators as a greenhouse gas sensor. The transfer matrix and green methods are used to investigate the dispersion relation theoretically and numerically. A linear acoustic design is proposed, and the waveguides are filled with gas samples. At the center of the structure, a defect resonator is used to excite an acoustic resonant peak inside the phononic bandgap. The localized acoustic peak is shifted to higher frequencies by increasing the acoustic speed and decreasing the density of gas samples. The sensitivity, transmittance of the resonant peak, bandwidth, and figure of merit are calculated at different geometrical conditions to select the optimum dimensions. The proposed closed resonator gas sensor records a sensitivity of 4.1 Hz m-1 s, a figure of merit of 332 m-1 s, a quality factor of 113,962, and a detection limit of 0.0003 m s-1. As a result of its high performance and simplicity, the proposed design can significantly contribute to gas sensors and bio-sensing applications.

Phononic Crystal Made of Silicon Ridges on a Membrane for Liquid Sensing

We propose the design of a phononic crystal to sense the acoustic properties of a liquid that is constituted by an array of silicon ridges on a membrane. In contrast to other concepts, the ridges are immersed in the liquid. The introduction of a suitable cavity in the periodic array gives rise to a confined defect mode with high localization in the cavity region and strong solid-liquid interaction, which make it sensitive to the acoustic properties of the liquid. By using a finite element method simulation, we theoretically study the transmission and cavity excitation of an incident flexural wave of the membrane. The observation of the vibrations of this mode can be achieved either outside the area of the phononic crystal or just above the cavity. We discuss the existence of the resonant modes, as well as its quality factor and sensitivity to liquid properties as a function of the geometrical parameters. The performance of the proposed sensor has then been tested to detect the variation in NaI concentration in a NaI-water mixture.

Development of a textile based protein sensor for monitoring the healing progress of a wound

This article focuses on the design and fabrication of flexible textile-based protein sensors to be embedded in wound dressings. Chronic wounds require continuous monitoring to prevent further complications and to determine the best course of treatment in the case of infection. As proteins are essential for the progression of wound healing, they can be used as an indicator of wound status. Through measuring protein concentrations, the sensor can assess and monitor the wound condition continuously as a function of time. The protein sensor consists of electrodes that are directly screen printed using both silver and carbon composite inks on polyester nonwoven fabric which was deliberately selected as this is one of the common backing fabric types currently used in wound dressings. These sensors were experimentally evaluated and compared to each other by using albumin protein solution of pH 7. A comprehensive set of cyclic voltammetry measurements was used to determine the optimal sensor design the measurement of protein in solution. As a result, the best sensor design is comprised of silver conductive tracks but a carbon layer as the working and counter electrodes at the interface zone. This design prevents the formation of silver dioxide and protects the sensor from rapid decay, which allows for the recording of consecutive measurements using the same sensor. The chosen printed protein sensor was able to detect bovine serum albumin at concentrations ranging from 30 to 0.3 mg/mL with a sensitivity of \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$0.0026 \mu $$\end{document}0.0026μA/M. Further testing was performed to assess the sensor’s ability to identify BSA from other interferential substances usually present in wound fluids and the results show that it can be distinguishable.

Phononic Band Gap and Free Vibration Analysis of Fluid-Conveying Pipes with Periodically Varying Cross-Section

Phononic crystals (PCs) are a novel class of artificial periodic structure, and their band gap (BG) attributes provide a new technical approach for vibration reduction in piping systems. In this paper, the vibration suppression performance and natural properties of fluid-conveying pipes with periodically varying cross-section are investigated. The flexural wave equation of substructure pipes is established based on the classical beam model and traveling wave property. The spectral element method (SEM) is developed for semi-analytical solutions, the accuracy of which is confirmed by comparison with the available literature and the widely used transfer matrix method (TMM). The BG distribution and frequency response of the periodic pipe are attained, and the natural frequencies and mode shapes are also obtained. The effects of some critical parameters are discussed. It is revealed that the BG of the present pipe system is fundamentally induced by the geometrical difference of the substructure cross-section, and it is also related to the substructure length and fluid–structure interaction (FSI). The number of cells does not contribute to the BG region, while it has significant effects on the amplitude attenuation, higher order natural frequencies and mode shapes. The impact of FSI is more evident for the pipes with smaller numbers of cells. Moreover, compared with the conventional TMM, the present SEM is demonstrated more effective for comprehensive analysis of BG characteristics and free vibration of PC dynamical structures.