科学家KoreanJeonbuk National Universityand Chinese material provider Wuhan Chamtop have 3D printed novel wearable self-powered sensors.
Based on a unique barium-loaded PVDF polymer, the team’s fully-printed devices are effectively able to harvest the piezoelectric energy generated by human movement. When built into an array, the sensors proved capable of using this charge to detect pressure inputs and convert them into signals, a significant advance in the development of high-performance additive wearable electronics.
Piezoelectric-powered electronics
Given the potential of self-powered sensors in creating wearable medical or sports-related monitoring devices, it’s hardly surprising that they’ve become an increasingly hot topic of research. As opposed to normal battery-operated actuators, self-powered technologies are often more compact and eco-friendly, while being cheaper to make as well.
Piezoelectric devices hold particular promise in this area thanks to their flexibility, net power output and ease of fabrication, in addition to improved performance compared to triboelectric energy sources (e.g. static). While PVDF has emerged as a popular base material for 3D printing these sensors, it often needs to be filled with a nucleating additive, in order to achieve its optimal piezoelectric performance.
在先前的研究中，将材料与聚合物混合产生了有限的设备，同时发现添加钛酸钡（BTO）可以增强所需的特性，但导致颗粒聚集。为了解决这个问题，科学家们提出了使用类似成分的3D打印传感器，尽管它是一种新颖的“ artises-tenon形”结构。
3D printing the sensor array
Once the researchers had identified the optimal PVDF-BTO formulation, they deployed aMusashi Engineeringrobotic arm-mounted 3D printer, to dispense the material into a film. A silver paste was then printed onto the device’s surface, before nickel tapes were used to mark its electrodes and it was subjected to poling under an electric field.
将最终传感器排列到U形的7×7厘米2array and subjected to characterization tests. Initial results revealed no noticeable BTO sedimentation in the resin, an important precursor to potential industrial applications. Interestingly, the team also found that increasing the level of BTO concentration in the films had a correlating impact on their piezoelectric properties.
例如，那些由10％钡纳米颗粒（NP）组成的原型表现出24.3 PC/N的电流，同时以50％的浓度加载样品，将其增加到69.1 PC/N。鉴于它们的最佳性能，后一种传感器后来部署在体育评估中，其中将其安装到跆拳道防护装备中。
发生时,设备能够检测到different levels of force applied based on the amount of voltage generated, something that could prove useful as an athlete training tool. Given the flexibility of their array, the scientists also propose that it could be 3D printed onto other wearables in future, enabling them to monitor various sporting activities without the need for external power sources.
压电的电势
用压电材料打印的3D打印可以生产无电池设备，其运动部件可以证明适合各种临床和软机器人应用。
科学家威斯康星大学麦迪逊分校已经利用了该技术3D print blood vesselscapable of remotely monitoring a patient’s blood pressure. The tubular devices emit piezoelectric pulses, alerting patients to when they need to seek urgent medical attention, without the need for an external power source.
A consortium of Chinese researchers, meanwhile, have3D printed a self-powered robotic fingerthat’s able to sense changes in curvature without using a conventional battery. The team hope that their multi-material additive digit will inspire the development of other piezo-powered soft robotics in future.
When it comes to novel materials, engineers from the弗吉尼亚理工学院和州立大学have also made significant advances. In recent research conducted there, a team developed apiezoelectric ceramic for DLP 3D printing并用它来创建各种复杂的自我维持结构。
研究人员的发现在其论文中详细介绍了“Mortise–tenon joint structured hydrophobic surface-functionalized barium titanate/polyvinylidene fluoride nanocomposites for printed self-powered wearable sensors。“这项研究是由海Li HoseongSong, Mengjie Long, Ghuzanfar Saeeda and Sooman Lim.
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Featured image shows a diagram of the team’s 3D printed sensor being tested in a taekwondo belt. Image via Nanoscale journal.
