Flexible capacitive pressure sensor based on interdigital electrodes with porous microneedle arrays for physiological signal monitoring

Flexible pressure sensors have many potential applications in the monitoring of physiological signals because of their good biocompatibil-ity and wearability.However,their relatively low sensitivity,linearity,and stability have hindered their large-scale commercial application.Herein,aflexible capacitive pressure sensor based on an interdigital electrode structure with two porous microneedle arrays(MNAs)is pro-posed.The porous substrate that constitutes the MNA is a mixed product of polydimethylsiloxane and NaHCO3.Due to its porous and interdigital structure,the maximum sensitivity(0.07 kPa-1)of a porous MNA-based pressure sensor was found to be seven times higher than that of an imporous MNA pressure sensor,and it was much greater than that of aflat pressure sensor without a porous MNA structure.Finite-element analysis showed that the interdigital MNA structure can greatly increase the strain and improve the sensitivity of the sen-sor.In addition,the porous MNA-based pressure sensor was found to have good stability over 1500 loading cycles as a result of its bilayer parylene-enhanced conductive electrode structure.Most importantly,it was found that the sensor could accurately monitor the motion of afinger,wrist joint,arm,face,abdomen,eye,and Adam’s apple.Furthermore,preliminary semantic recognition was achieved by monitoring the movement of the Adam’s apple.Finally,multiple pressure sensors were integrated into a 33 array to detect a spatial pressure distribu-×tion.Compared to the sensors reported in previous works,the interdigital electrode structure presented in this work improves sensitivity and stability by modifying the electrode layer rather than the dielectric layer.

FOULING DETECTION IN FOOD VESSELS USING INTERDIGITAL LAMB WAVE TRANSDUCER

Lamb waves are used to detect fouling in food vessels. The propagation of the Lamb waves in plates exhibits many modes and dispersion characteristics, which have great influence on fouling detection. The relative distribution of the in-plane and out-of-plane displacement of the mode across the thickness of the plate will determine the sensitivity of the mode to a particular loading condition. By considering the dispersion and multi-mode characteristics of guided waves, an interdigital polyvi- nylidene fluoride （PVDF） transducer is designed to realize the mode selection of gnided waves, and a single a0 mode is used for guided wave detection. Fouling detection experiments are conducted in the laboratory using epoxy adhesive on a thin plate. Using the interdigital PVDF transducer, three fouled areas are detected. Using one of the time-frequency analysis methods, the waveforms are further processed. This also demonstrates the validity of this method of fouling detection.

Recent progress and challenges in interdigital microbatteries:Fabrication, functionalization and integration

Currently,the increasing demands for portable,implantable,and wearable electronics have triggered the interest in miniaturized energy storage devices.Different from conventional energy storage devices,interdigital microbatteries(IMBs) are free of separators and prepared on a single substrate,potentially achieving a short ionic diffusion path and better performance.Meanwhile,they can be easily fabricated and integrated into on-chip miniaturized electronics,holding the promise to provide long-lasting power for advanced microelectronic devices.To date,while many seminal works have been reviewed the topic of microbatteries,there is no work that systematically summarizes the development of IMBs of high energy density and stable voltage platforms from fabrication,functionalization to integration.The current review focuses on the most recent progress in IMBs,discussing advanced micromachining techniques with compatible features to construct high-performance IMBs with smart functions and intelligent integrated systems.The future opportunities and challenges of IMBs are also highlighted,calling for more efforts in this dynamic and fast-growing research field.

CEVA收购InterDigital的Hillcrest Labs智能传感器技术业务

并购吸纳的高度互补传感器处理技术已助力超1亿台设备,将扩展CEVA智能和互联技术产品组合CEVA,全球领先的智能和互联设备信号处理平台和人工智能处理器IP授权许可厂商(纳斯达克股票交易所代码:CEVA),宣布向InterDigital, Inc.收购Hillcrest Laboratories, Inc.(Hillcrest Labs)业务。Hillcrest Labs是消费电子产品和物联网(IoT)设备中传感器处理软件和组件的全球领先供应商。

Study on high-order frequency selective surface with interdigital capacitance loading

The application of frequency selection surfaces(FSSs)is limited by large area,narrow bandwidth,low stopband inhibition and large ripple in the passband.A method for designing high-order wide band miniaturized-element frequency selective surface(MEFSS)with capacitance loading is introduced.The proposed structure is composed of multiply sub-wavelength interdigital capacitance layer,sub-wavelength inductive wire grids separated by dielectric substrates.A simple equivalent circuit model,composed of short transmission lines coupled together with shunt inductors and capacitors,is presented for this structure.Using the equivalent circuit model and electromagnetic(EM)model,an analytical synthesis procedure is developed that can be used to synthesize the MEFSS from its desired system-level performance indicators such as the center frequency of operation,bandwidth and stopband inhibition.Using this synthesis procedure,a prototype of the proposed MEFSS with a third-order bandpass response,center frequency of 2.75 GHz,fractional bandwidth of 8%is designed,fabricated,and measured.The measurement results confirm the theoretical predictions and the design procedure of the structure and demonstrate that the proposed MEFSS has a stable frequency response with respect to the angle of incidence of the EM wave in the±30°range incidence,and the in-band return loss is greater than 18 dB,and the rejection in the stopband is greater than 25 dB at the frequency of 3.2 GHz.

Near-infrared metal-semiconductor-metal photodetector based on semi-insulating GaAs and interdigital electrodes

Metal-semiconductor-metal photodetectors on semi-insulating Ga As with interdigital electrodes showed significant enhancement in the spectral response in the near-infrared region as the electrode spacing is reduced. The photocurrent for the device with 5 μm interdigital spacing is five orders of magnitude higher than the dark current, and the room temperature detectivity is on the order of 2.4 × 1012cm Hz1∕2W-1at 5 V bias. Furthermore,the spectral response of this device possesses strong dependence on the polarization of incident light showing potential plasmonic effects with only microscale dimensions. These experimental data were analyzed using optical simulation to confirm the response of the devices.

Coupling electro-mechanical behaviors in the interdigital electrode device of ferroelectrics

The electro-mechanical coupling behaviors of ferroelectric devices with interdigital electrodes may become complicated due to the material inhomogeneity and local field concentration under the complex working conditions.In this paper,a ferroelectric model,drawn from the typical interdigital electrode structure of a ferroelectric sensor,is established based on phase field theory,to study the polarization evolution and explore the evolution laws in ferroelectrics.Numerical results show that there appears ferroelectric creep even under an applied electric field below the coercive field value.Also,the configurational force theory is introduced to investigate the mechanical behaviors related to polarization switching in the ferroelectric samples with interdigital electrodes.It is found that configurational force and polarization have similar evolution laws in both time evolving and space distribution.And considering the configurational force as the driving force,it is possible to predict the potential direction of polarization evolution and explore its evolution mechanism in ferroelectrics,demonstrating the configurational force as a useful parameter for describing mechanical behavior during the polarization evolution and a powerful tool for investigating the evolution mechanism of microstructure with coupling effects in ferroelectric materials.

Tunable patterning of microscale particles using a surface acoustic wave device with slanted-finger interdigital transducers

Polymer-based materials with patterned functional particles have been used to develop smart devices with multiple functionalities.This paper presents a novel method to pattern microscale particles into biocompatible polyethylene glycol diacrylate(PEGDA)fluid through a designed surface acoustic wave(SAW)device with slanted-finger interdigital transducers(SFITs).By applying signals of different frequencies,the SFITs can excite SAWs with various wavelengths to pattern the microscale particles.The structural design and working principle of the SAW device with SFITs are firstly presented.To investigate the generation of standing SAWs and pressure field distributions of the SAW device with SFITs,a numerical model was developed.Simulation results showed that different strip-shape patterned pressure fields can be generated,and the period and width of adjacent strips can be adjusted by changing the frequencies of the excitation signals.Experiments were performed to verify that the microscale particles in the PEGDA solution can be successfully patterned into strip-shape patterns with various positions,periods,and widths.The results obtained in this study demonstrate that the developed method of using an SAW device with SFITs can be used for tunable patterning of microscale particles in solutions,and shows great potential for biomedical and microfluidic applications.

Resolution of 2nd, 3rd or 4th interdigital space incomplete, simple syndactyly using a random vascularity flap

Syndactyly consists of a variable fusion of soft tissue or of bone in adjacent fingers. This has important aesthetic and functional impacts on the development of the child due to the abnormal appearance of the hand. When the 1st web space is affected, it compromises grasp and development of the clamp function. Affliction of the 2nd, 3rd or 4th webspaces hinder the independent movement of the fingers adjacent to it. Current syndactyly release techniques have inherent disadvantages such as the use of skin from both the interdigital halves of the syndactylized fingers, the need to skin graft the donor site, postoperative flexion contracture, and need of 2 or more surgical procedures to obtain the desired result. The authors present 7 cases with incomplete simple 2nd, 3rd or 4th webspace syndactylies of multiple etiologies. All cases were treated at the unit of the corresponding author. The flap used in the treatment for all 7 cases did not require skin grafting of the flap donor site and used only skin from one of the fingers, while achieving a webspace dimension similar to normality, with a short recovery period. Furthermore, there were no postoperative finger contractures, diminishing the risk of future relapse.

1960～2015年湖北及周边地区头癣病原菌变化情况分析

目的了解1960~2015年间湖北及周边地区头癣病例的病原菌变化情况。方法归类、统计1960~2015年间我院皮肤性病科真菌室分离、鉴定来自头癣病例的病原真菌种类和数量。鉴定方法包括形态学、生理及生化实验方法。结果本地区20世纪60年代头癣高发,病原菌以许兰毛癣菌(41.9%)和紫色毛癣菌(31.0%)为主。70年代病例数锐减。90年代,犬小孢子菌比例达高峰(36.9%)后下降,目前罕见。近5a紫色毛癣菌已取代许兰毛癣菌,成为本地区主要病原菌(63.0%)。许兰毛癣菌、红色毛癣菌多见于成人,而紫色毛癣菌、犬小孢子菌、趾(指)间毛癣菌和铁锈色小孢子菌均更多见于儿童。成年患者中女性所占比例(64.6%)显著高于儿童患者中女性比例(50.6%)(除许兰毛癣菌外)(P<0.05)。结论本地区头癣病原菌种类不断变迁,目前优势菌为紫色毛癣菌。

指(趾)间毛癣菌致须癣1例

患者男,31岁,养羊史。上唇部、下颌部、颏部、颈前上部皮损4个月,逐渐加重。皮损呈红色肿胀性浸润性损害,上有结节、脓疱、结痂,有脓液外溢,压痛明显,胡须大部分脱落,亦见一些断须,易拔出。脓液真菌镜检可见透明分支分隔菌丝,真菌培养为指(趾)间毛癣菌,组织病理显示为感染肉芽肿改变。诊断须癣,给予患者口服伊曲康唑400 mg/d治疗6周,之后伊曲康唑200mg/d联合特比萘芬250mg/d治疗6周痊愈。

RF design and study of a 325 MHz 7 Me V APF IH-DTL for an injector of a proton medical accelerator

A compact interdigital H-mode drift-tube linac (IH-DTL) with the alternating-phase-focusing (APF) method, working at 325 MHz was designed for an injector of a proton medical accelerator. When fed in with a proper RF (radio frequency) power, the DTL cavity could establish the corresponding electromagnetic field to accelerate the ‘‘proton bunches’’ from an input energy of 3 MeV to an output energy of 7 MeV successfully, without any additional radial focusing elements. The gap-voltage distribution which was obtained from the CST■ Microwave Studio software simulations of the axial electric field was compared with that from the beam dynamics, and the errors met the requirements within ± 5%. In this paper, the RF design procedure and key results of the APF IH-DTL, which include the main RF characteristics of the cavity, frequency sensitivities of the tuners, and coupling factor of the RF power input coupler are presented.

Toward Flexible and Wearable Embroidered Supercapacitors from Cobalt Phosphides-Decorated Conductive Fibers

Wearable supercapacitors(SCs)are gaining prominence as portable energy storage devices.To develop high-performance wearable SCs,the significant relationship among material,structure,and performance inspired us with a delicate design of the highly wearable embroidered supercapacitors made from the conductive fibers composited.By rendering the conductive interdigitally patterned embroidery as both the current collector and skeleton for the SCs,the novel pseudocapacitive material cobalt phosphides were then successfully electrodeposited,forming the first flexible and wearable in-plane embroidery SCs.The electrochemical measurements manifested that the highest specific capacitance was nearly 156.6 mF cm?2(65.72 F g?1)at the current density of 0.6 mA cm?2(0.25 A g?1),with a high energy density of 0.013 mWh cm?2(5.55 Wh kg?1)at a power density of 0.24 mW cm?2(100 W kg?1).As a demonstration,a monogrammed pattern was ingeniously designed and embroidered on the laboratory gown as the wearable in-plane SCs,which showed both decent electrochemical performance and excellent flexibility.

Focusing of Surface Acoustic Wave on a Piezoelectric Crystal

We investigate the focusing phenomena of a surface acoustic wave （SAW） field generated by a circular-arc interdigital transducer （IDT） on a piezoelectric crystal. A rigorous vector field theory of surface excitation on the crystal we developed previously is used to evaluate the convergent SAW field instead of the prevalent scalar angular spectrum used in optics. The theoretical results show that the anisotropy of a medium has great impact on the focusing properties of the acoustic beams, such as focal length and symmetrical distributions near the focus. A dark field method is used in experiment to observe the focusing of the SAW tield optically. Although the convergent phenomena of SAW field on the anisotropic media or piezoelectric crystals are very complicated, the experimental data are in agreement with those from the rigorous theory.

Chlorine Gas Sensors with HPS Film on Interdigitated Capacitors

The Cl2-sensitive heteropolysiloxanes(HPS) film was formed on the interdigital capacitor based on silicon dioxide by means of sol-gel process and spin-on technique.Measurements of interdigital capacitance were performed at room temperature for frequencies 100 Hz,1 kHz and 10 kHz.It is shown that there is a linear relationship between the capacitance and the concentration of chlorine gas.Influences of the measurement frequency and film thickness of silicate on the sensitivity of the sensor to C12 gas were discussed.And organically modified N,N-diethylaminopropyl-trimethoxysilane (APMS) had a much higher sensitivity.

Horizontal InAs nanowire transistors grown on patterned silicon-on-insulator substratea

High-density horizontal InAs nanowire transistors are fabricated on the interdigital silicon-on-insulator substrate.Hexagonal InAs nanowires are uniformly grown between face-to-face（111） vertical sidewalls of neighboring Si fingers by metal–organic chemical vapor deposition. The density of InAs nanowires is high up to 32 per group of silicon fingers,namely an average of 4 nanowires per micrometer. The electrical characteristics with a higher on/off current ratio of 2×10~5are obtained at room temperature. The silicon-based horizontal InAs nanowire transistors are very promising for future high-performance circuits.

Digital Dermatitis in Dairy Cattle Is Still a Serious Problem in Western Europe

Bacterial infections are quite common in dairy cattle,and frequently related to internal organ systems like e.g.respiratory,intestinal and udder infections.Lameness in dairy cattle is mainly caused by both infectious and non-infectious hoof problems and these have different etiological background.At the moment(2018)the major infectious hoof disorders are DD(Digital Dermatitis)and IP(Interdigital Phlegmon).These are all due to infection from the area where dairy cows normally live and more or less intensive contact with“contaminated”manure.This paper gives insight in these different dermatitis problems cows are daily confronted with,with a focus on infectious hoof disorders as a more or less permanent problem in today’s dairy farming.

Pspice Equivalent Circuit Model for Implementation of Surface Acoustic Wave Filter

The crystals of quartz,lithium,and piezoelectric ceramics have a piezoelectric effect as their major characteristic.The surface acoustic wave filter(SAWF) was designed by using this property.However,the experimental cost of the fabrication of SAWF is higher than that of mechanical filter or LC filter.Through the RLC(resistor,inductor and capacitor) network equivalent circuit and the interdigital transducer(IDT) equivalent circuit model,the electromotive force,the mechanical impedance of piezoelectric plate,and the wave number of Mason circuit model were researched.The equivalent circuit can be used to reduce product development costs and shorten the development cycle.Comparing simulation result by Pspice software with the theory of SAWF,the simulated waveform is similar to theory measurement,and the equivalent circuit model is verified.

Influence of bio-inspired flow channel designs on the performance of a PEM fuel cell

Performance of the proton exchange membrane fuel cell(PEMFC)is appreciably affected by the channel geometry.The branching structure of a plant leaf and human lung is an efficient network to distribute the nutrients in the respective systems.The same nutrient transport system can be mimicked in the flow channel design of a PEMFC,to aid even reactant distribution and better water management.In this work,the effect of bio-inspired flow field designs such as lung and leaf channel design bipolar plates,on the performance of a PEMFC was examined experimentally at various operating conditions.A PEMFC of 49 cm2 area,with a Nafion 212 membrane with a 40%catalyst loading of 0.4 mg·cm-2 on the anode side and also 0.6 mg·cm-2 on the cathode side is assembled by incorporating the bio-inspired channel bipolar plate,and was tested on a programmable fuel-cell test station.The impact of the working parameters like reactants’relative humidity(RH),back pressure and fuel cell temperature on the performance of the fuel cell was examined;the operating pressure remains constant at 0.1 MPa.It was observed that the best performance was attained at a back pressure of 0.3 MPa,75°C operating temperature and 100%RH.The three flow channels were also compared at different operating pressures ranging from 0.1 MPa to 0.3 MPa,and the other parameters such as operating temperature,RH and back pressure were set as 75°C,100%and 0.3 MPa.The experimental outcomes of the PEMFC with bio-inspired channels were compared with the experimental results of a conventional triple serpentine flow field.It was observed that among the different flow channel designs considered,the leaf channel design gives the best output in terms of power density.Further,the experimental results of the leaf channel design were compared with those of the interdigitated leaf channel design.The PEMFC with the interdigitated leaf channel design was found to generate 6.72%more power density than the non-interdigitated leaf channel design.The fuel cell with interdigitated leaf channel design generated5.58%more net power density than the fuel cell with non-interdigitated leaf channel design after considering the parasitic losses.

Simulation of the Internal Transport Phenomena for PEM Fuel Cells with Different Modes of Flow

A numerical model for proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell is developed, which can simulate such basic transport phenomena as gas-liquid two-phase flow in a working fuel cell. Boundary conditions for both the conventional and the interdigitated modes of flow are presented on a three-dimensional basis. Numerical techniques for this model are discussed in detail. Validation shows good agreement between simulating results and experimental data. Furthermore, internal transport phenomena are discussed and compared for PEM fuel cells with conventional and interdigitated flows. It is found that the dead-ended structure of an interdigitated flow does increase the oxygen mass fraction and decrease the liquid water saturation in the gas diffusion layer as compared to the conventional mode of flow. However, the cathode humidification is important for an interdigitated flow to acquire better performance than a conventional flow fuel cell.