Development and characterization of an artificial hair cell based on polyurethane elastomer and force sensitive resistors

J. M. Engel*, J. Chen, N. Chen, S. Pandya, C. Liu

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

18 Scopus citations

Abstract

The performance of polyurethane (PU) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomers are compared in a battery of tests showing that the two PU formulations tested compare very favorably with PDMS mechanically and in terms of adhesion, while sacrificing some resistance to solvents and chemicals. PU is then used to form the structure and sensing elements of an all-polymer artificial hair cell. The demonstrated artificial hair cells are composed of a PU cilium on top of force sensitive resistors (FSRs) that detect cilium motion. The FSR is a mixture of carbon nanoparticles and PU, patterned using a newly developed method. Sensitivity of the demonstrated device (245 ppm/μm of tip deflection.) is improved by an order of magnitude over previous single-axis polymer AHCs with additional improvements in robustness. Both carbon black and multi-walled nanotubes are tested as conductive fillers, with MWNT providing increased sensitivity.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationProceedings of the Fourth IEEE Conference on Sensors 2005
Pages1014-1017
Number of pages4
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 1 2005
EventFourth IEEE Conference on Sensors 2005 - Irvine, CA, United States
Duration: Oct 31 2005Nov 3 2005

Publication series

NameProceedings of IEEE Sensors
Volume2005

Other

OtherFourth IEEE Conference on Sensors 2005
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityIrvine, CA
Period10/31/0511/3/05

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering

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