Nanodevice for Imaging Normal Stress Distribution with Application in Sensing Texture and 'Feel' by Touching

用于成像法向应力分布的纳米器件及其在通过触摸感测纹理和“感觉”方面的应用

• 批准号: 0534812
• 负责人: Ravi Saraf
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Nebraska-Lincoln
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2004
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2004-08-30 至 2008-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0534812&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Nanodevice; Imaging; Normal; Stress; Distribution

Touch is one of the five senses designed by nature for survival. 'Touch' may (partially) be characterized as a sensory operation for measuring texture and softness of an object by mechanical contact. We propose to design, fabricate, study and develop, a novel, large-area, touch sensor made from nanoparticles. The nanodevice is a self-assembled thin-film sensor that will convert static or dynamic (compressive) normal stress distribution to, (i) visible-light , and/or, (ii) electrical current or voltage. The optical and/or electrical signal is proportional to the magnitude of local stress on the sensor's active area. By detecting the light intensity distribution and/or, probing the current distribution on the active area using an electrode array, potentially, the stress distribution can be obtained in less than millisecond speeds at spatial resolution of 1 mm spot. Importantly, the dynamic range and the sensitivity of the sensor can be tuned. Due to high speed (especially for electrical signal), the external stimulus (i.e., stress distribution) may be mechanical force, pressure or ultrasound radiation. The structure of the device will be a suitable test-bed to study physics and characteristics of electronic transport across nanoparticle/nanoparticle and nanoparticle/insulator junctions, both at single particle resolution. This fundamental study will potentially lead to design rules to optimize the device performance of the proposed sensor, also dubbed 'Artificial Skin'. The thin-film device may be supported or directly self-assembled on flexible or rigid substrate. The sensor will have broad range of other applications such as, ultrasound medical imaging/diagnostics, smart materials, and non-destructive diagnostics of large structures.

触觉是大自然为生存而设计的五种感觉之一。“触摸”可以（部分地）被表征为用于通过机械接触来测量物体的质地和柔软度的感官操作。我们提出设计、制造、研究和开发一种新型的、大面积的、由纳米颗粒制成的触摸传感器。纳米器件是一种自组装薄膜传感器，将静态或动态（压缩）法向应力分布转换为（i）可见光和/或（ii）电流或电压。光和/或电信号与传感器的有效区域上的局部应力的大小成比例。通过检测光强度分布和/或使用电极阵列探测有源区域上的电流分布，可以潜在地以小于毫秒的速度以1 mm光斑的空间分辨率获得应力分布。重要的是，可以调整传感器的动态范围和灵敏度。由于高速（特别是对于电信号），外部刺激（即，应力分布）可以是机械力、压力或超声辐射。该设备的结构将是一个合适的测试平台，以研究纳米粒子/纳米粒子和纳米粒子/绝缘体结之间的电子传输的物理和特性，无论是在单粒子分辨率。这项基础研究可能会导致设计规则，以优化拟议传感器的设备性能，也被称为“人造皮肤”。薄膜器件可以被支撑或直接自组装在柔性或刚性基板上。该传感器将具有广泛的其他应用，如超声医学成像/诊断，智能材料和大型结构的无损诊断。