New Measuring Method for Colorless Liquid Level Based on CLC100 Level Sensor and Powercast Wireless Sensor Kit

In this paper, a new wireless measuring method for colorless liquid level measurement was presented, based on latest CLC100 liquid level sensor and Powercast wireless sensor development kit. The wireless system is divided into two parts, level measurement and data transmission part as well as data receiving and display part. First part included the capacitive liquid level sensor CLC100 and the wireless senor board. CLC100 sensor was used for liquid level measurement. Wireless sensor kit from Powercast Corporation included one wireless sensor board, which was used for signal transmission. A built-in PIC microcontroller was embedded in the transmission module, for the purpose of processing and data transmitting. Due to CLC100 sensor’s output voltage exceeding the sensor board’s input limitation, a voltage convertor was designed to connect the sensor and the wireless sensor board. The final results were voltages corresponding to the liquid level, and were processed by an independent PIC development board, and then sent to PC’s hyper terminal via serial-port by this PIC microcontroller. Experiments showed that this wireless sensor node prototype worked well.

Design of Laser Radar Fiber Optic Liquid Level Sensor System

A novel fiber optic liquid level sensor based on laser radar (ladar) is reported here. Using the perfect technique of ladar in which the phase of amplitude modulated light wave reflected from the liquid surface is compared with that of original modulation signal, the distance can be measured precisely. A special symmetric compensating coaxial optical system is proposed to eliminate many adverse effects. It realized the one-time electronic-free optical measurement on a simulated oil tank and achieves an accuracy of 0.3%, within a temperature range of -10 ℃～+40 ℃ over a measuring of 0～10 m.

Microfluidic temperature sensor based on temperature-dependent dielectric property of liquid

We propose a low-cost compact microfluidic temperature sensor by virtue of the temperature-dependent permittivity of liquid.The sensor is composed of a coplanar waveguide(CPW)transmission line loaded with three resonators and a microfluidic plate with three channels.The resonant frequency of each resonator relies on the temperature-dependent dielectric property of liquid in corresponding channel,which therefore can be used to extract the temperature.The proposed sensor features a compact size and low cost since it requires only micro fluid volume instead of additional electronic components to produce significant frequency shift with changing temperature.Moreover,it exhibits decent accuracy and stability in a temperature sensing range from 30℃ to 95℃.A theoretical analysis of the sensor is provided,followed by the detailed characterization method,and a prototype is designed,manufactured,and measured to verify the theoretical analysis.

Self-Healing Liquid Metal Magnetic Hydrogels for Smart Feedback Sensors and High-Performance Electromagnetic Shielding

Hydrogels exhibit potential applications in smart wearable devices because of their exceptional sensitivity to various external stimuli.However,their applications are limited by challenges in terms of issues in biocompatibility,custom shape,and self-healing.Herein,a conductive,stretchable,adaptable,self-healing,and biocompatible liquid metal GaInSn/Ni-based composite hydrogel is developed by incorporating a magnetic liquid metal into the hydrogel framework through crosslinking polyvinyl alcohol(PVA)with sodium tetraborate.The excellent stretchability and fast self-healing capability of the PVA/liquid metal hydrogel are derived from its abundant hydrogen binding sites and liquid metal fusion.Significantly,owing to the magnetic constituent,the PVA/liquid metal hydrogel can be guided remotely using an external magnetic field to a specific position to repair the broken wires with no need for manual operation.The composite hydrogel also exhibits sensitive deformation responses and can be used as a strain sensor to monitor various body motions.Additionally,the multifunctional hydrogel displays absorption-dominated electromagnetic interference(EMI)shielding properties.The total shielding performance of the composite hydrogel increases to~62.5 dB from~31.8 dB of the pure PVA hydrogel at the thickness of 3.0 mm.The proposed bioinspired multifunctional magnetic hydrogel demonstrates substantial application potential in the field of intelligent wearable devices.

Laser direct writing of Ga_(2)O_(3)/liquid metal-based flexible humidity sensors

Flexible and wearable humidity sensors play a vital role in daily point-of-care diagnosis and noncontact human-machine interactions.However,achieving a facile and high-speed fabrication approach to realizing flexible humidity sensors remains a challenge.In this work,a wearable capacitive-type Ga_(2)O_(3)/liquid metal-based humidity sensor is demonstrated by a one-step laser direct writing technique.Owing to the photothermal effect of laser,the Ga_(2)O_(3)-wrapped liquid metal particles can be selectively sintered and converted from insulative to conductive traces with a resistivity of 0.19Ω·cm,while the untreated regions serve as active sensing layers in response to moisture changes.Under 95%relative humidity,the humidity sensor displays a highly stable performance along with rapid response and recover time.Utilizing these superior properties,the Ga_(2)O_(3)/liquid metal-based humidity sensor is able to monitor human respiration rate,as well as skin moisture of the palm under different physiological states for healthcare monitoring.

An ionic liquid supported CeO_2 nanoparticles-carbon nanotubes composite-enhanced electrochemical DNA-based sensor for the detection of Pb^(2+)

An electrochemical sensor incorporating a signal enhancement for the determination of lead （II） ions （Pb2＋） was designed on the basis of the thrombin-binding aptamer （TBA） as a molecular recog- nition element and ionic liquid supported cerium oxide （CeO2） nanoparticles-carbon nanotubes compo- site modification. The composite comprises nanoparticles CeO2, multi-waU carbon nanotubes （MWNTs） and hydrophobic room temperature ionic liquid （RTIL） 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate （EMIMBF4）. The electrochemical sensors were fabricated by immersing the CeOa-MWNTs-EMIMBF4 modified glassy carbon electrode （GCE） into the solution of TBA probe. In the presence of Pb2＋, the TBA probe could form stable G-quartet structure by the specific binding interactions between Pb2＋ and TBA. The TBA-bound Pb2＋ can be electrochemically reduced, which provides a readout signal for quantitative detection of Pb2＋. The reduction peak current is linearly related to the concentration of Pb2＋ from 1.0 ＊ 10-8 M to 1.0 ＊ 105 M with a detection limit of 5 ＊ 109 M. This work demonstrates that the CeOz-MWNTs-EMIMBF4 nanocomposite modified GCE provides a promising platform for immobi- lizing the TBA probe and enhancing the sensitivity of the DNA-based sensors.

Liquid holdup measurement with double helix capacitance sensor in horizontal oil-water two-phase flow pipes

This paper presents the characteristics of a double helix capacitance sensor for measurement of the liquid holdup in horizontal oil–water two-phase flow. The finite element method is used to calculate the sensitivity field of the sensor in a pipe with 20 mm inner diameter and the effect of sensor geometry on the distribution of sensitivity field is presented. Then, a horizontal oil–water two-phase flow experiment is carried out to measure the response of the double helix capacitance sensor, in which a novel method is proposed to calibrate the liquid holdup based on three pairs of parallel-wire capacitance probes. The performance of the sensor is analyzed in terms of the flow structures detected by mini-conductance array probes.

Highly sensitive optical fiber temperature sensor based on resonance in sidewall of liquid-filled silica capillary tube

A highly sensitive optical fiber temperature sensor based on a section of liquid-filled silica capillary tube(SCT)between single mode fibers is proposed. Two micro-holes are drilled on two sides of SCT directly by using femtosecond laser micromachining, and liquid polymer is filled into the SCT through the micro-holes without any air bubbles and then sealed by using ultra-violet(UV) cure adhesive. The sidewall of the SCT forms a Fabry–Perot resonator, and loss peaks are achieved in the transmission spectrum of the SCT at the resonant wavelength. The resonance condition can be influenced by the refractive index variation of the liquid polymer filled in SCT, which is sensitive to temperature due to its high thermooptical coefficient(-2.98 × 10^-4℃^-1). The experimental result shows that the temperature sensitivity of the proposed fiber structure reaches 5.09 nm/℃ with a perfect linearity of 99.8%. In addition, it exhibits good repeatability and reliability in temperature sensing application.

Design and Fabrication of a Bio-inspired Acceleration Sensor Using Liquid Mass Blocks

A linear acceleration sensor,which is inspired by the human balance organ,is designed and prepared. It uses a liquid mass-block and a symmetrical-electrodes metal-core polyvinylidene fluoride fiber(SMPF)as the sensor element. The output signal of the sensor has an exponential relationship with the excitation amplitude of the impacting vibration. It is capable of detecting the amplitude and the correct frequency for sinusoidal excitations using an exponential correlation. The experiments indicate that both the output signal of the sensor and the resonance frequency increase substantially with increasing diameter of the metal core. The first-order resonance frequencies of the sensors with 40,60,and 80 μm diameter metal wires are below 10 Hz,which is near the range of human body motion frequencies.

An Unexpected Frequency Response of A Piezoelectric Quartz Crystal Sensor to the Density and Viscosity of the Liquid

An unexpected frequency response for a piezoelectric quartz crystal (PQC) sensor to liquid density and viscosity was reported. For a PQC oscillating in a liquid phase, the frequency shifts (?f ) show a wave-shape response to liquid density (ρ) and viscosity (η) in fine structure, if the longitudinal wave effect was not eliminated. This result is different from the well-known linear relationship between of ?f and (ρη)1/2. An oscillating frequency-temperature curve of the sensor was observed and explained.

Refractive Index and Temperature Sensor Using HC-1550 Infiltrating by Different Liquid Crystal

Photonic crystal fiber (PCF) is employed as a refractive index sensor (RIS) for solving a lot of problems in biological, physicochemical, medical, engineering fields and many environmental challenges, where it is used in many industries of food, medicines, chemical materials and material diagnosis. The kind of the PCFs was HC-1550 with three wavelengths of laser source were used;638 nm, 850 nm, and 1550 nm that are useful for recording the intended transmitted signal intensity. Therefore, the measured RI was in the range (1.469 - 1.455 RIU) at the temperature range (36 - 70)°C for the EBBA and it was (1.621 - 1.612 RIU) at the temperature range (22 - 42)°C for the MBBA. The results showed that the highest RI sensitivity was 96.335 dBm/RIU for the HC-1550 infiltrated with MBBA using the laser of wavelength 638 nm, Also, the highest temperature sensitivity was 0.2505 dBm/°C for empty HC-1550 using the laser of wavelength 1550 nm.

Development of Diagnostics for High-Temperature High-Pressure Liquid Pb-16Li Applications

Liquid lead-lithium (Pb-16Li) is of primary interest as one of the candidate materials for tritium breeder, neutron multiplier and coolant fluid in liquid metal blanket concepts relevant to fusion power plants. For an effective and reliable operation of such high temperature liquid metal systems, monitoring and control of critical process parameters is essential. However, limited operational experience coupled with high temperature operating conditions and corrosive nature of Pb-16Li severely limited application of commercially available diagnostic tools. This paper illustrates indigenous calibration test facility designs and experimental methods used to develop non-contact configuration level diagnostics using pulse radar level sensor, wetted configuration pressure diagnostics using diaphragm seal type pressure sensor and bulk temperature diagnostics with temperature profiling for high temperature, high pressure liquid Pb and Pb-16Li applications. Calibration check of these sensors was performed using analytical methods, at temperature between 380°C - 400°C and pressure upto 1 MPa (g). Reliability and performance validation were achieved through long duration testing of sensors in liquid Pb and liquid Pb-16Li environment for over 1000 hour. Estimated deviation for radar level sensor lies within [−3.36 mm, +13.64 mm] and the estimated error for pressure sensor lies within 1.1% of calibrated span over the entire test duration. Results obtained and critical observations from these tests are presented in this paper.

Infrared Sensor with Liquid Crystal Chopper

An infrared sensor using the liquid crystal chopper is presented. The infrared sensor is designed to detect infrared rays with a pyroelectric element used as a liquid crystal chopper in such an infrared sensor or the like.

The Design Liquid-level Monitoring System of Adopting the Ultrasonic Sensing Technology

Utilizing the technology of Ultrasonic wave,relevant test arithmetic and the PC to carry on monitoring,controlling and cen-tralized management of the liquid-level in the liquid container. It can prevent from keeping in touch with the examined liquid,not only has increased the continuous working time of the system greatly,simplifying maintenance of the sensor conveniently,can also realize overhauling in producing and boost the productivity and management level. The working principle,hardware structure of the instrument and the design method are presented,and the selection of sensor and MCU is discussed in detail in this paper. MCU are used to control the emission and receiving. Then the liquid-level are calculated,which makes the design more intelligent.

Innovating ionic liquids as repairable electronics for liquid robots

When I read the paper of“Crystal-Confined Freestanding Ionic Liquids for Reconfigurable and Repairable Electronics”that was published on Nature Communications(Nat.Commun.2019,10,547),I felt excited as it led to a new application of ionic liquids in addition to the enormous studies on chemical synthesis,catalysis,gas adsorption,processing biomass,and electrochemistry.This paper intended to mimic the liquid robot which was a classic character in the famous movie of Terminator 2:Judgment Day.The authors successfully exploited an approach to overcome the leakage problem of ionic liquids in the absence of encapsulation layers.It seems that ionic liquids would be one of the promising materials for green electronics with less production of electronic waste.In these regards,I would be delighted to write a highlight for this innovative work and hopefully it may raise more interests in the areas of ionic liquids.

Ionic Elastomers for Electric Actuators and Sensors

In the past decades,ion conductive polymers and elastomers have drawn worldwide attention for their advanced functions in batteries,electroactive soft robotics,and sensors.Stretchable ionic elastomers with dispersed soft ionic moieties such as ionic liquids have gained remarkable attention as soft sensors,in applications such as the wearable devices that are often called electric skins.A considerable amount of research has been done on ionic-elastomer-based strain,pressure,and shear sensors;however,to the best of our knowledge,this research has not yet been reviewed.In this review,we summarize the materials and performance properties of engineered ionic elastomer actuators and sensors.First,we review three classes of ionic elastomer actuators—namely,ionic polymer metal composites,ionic conducting polymers,and ionic polymer/carbon nanocomposites—and provide perspectives for future actuators,such as adaptive four-dimensional(4D)printed systems and ionic liquid crystal elastomers(iLCEs).Next,we review the state of the art of ionic elastomeric strain and pressure sensors.We also discuss future wearable strain sensors for biomechanical applications and sports performance tracking.Finally,we present the preliminary results of iLCE sensors based on flexoelectric signals and their amplification by integrating them with organic electrochemical transistors.

Oscillating Frequency Response of a Langasite Crystal Microbalance in Liquid Phase

The frequency responses of a langasite crystal microbalance （LCM） in liquid phase were investigated. It was shown that the LCM possessed much stronger oscillating ability in liquid phase than that of the commonly used quartz crystal microbalance （QCM）. The frequency shifts of the LCM to the changes in mass loading, as well as viscosity and density of the liquid were measured. The LCM was applied to monitor the adsorption process of an ionic liquid film to ethanol vapor.

Modeling of liquid film thickness around Taylor bubbles rising in vertical stagnant and co-current slug flowing liquids

The hydrodynamic study of the liquid film around Taylor bubbles in slug flow has great significance for understanding parallel flow and interaction between Taylor bubbles.The prediction models for liquid film thickness mainly focus on stagnant flow,and some of them remain inaccurate performance.However,in the industrial process,the slug flow essentially is co-current flow.Therefore,in this paper,the liquid film thickness is studied by theoretical analysis and experimental methods under two conditions of stagnant and co-current flow.Firstly,under the condition of stagnant flow,the present work is based on Batchelor's theory,and modifies Batchelor's liquid film thickness model,which effectively improves its prediction accuracy.Under the condition of co-current flow,the prediction model of average liquid film thickness in slug flow is established by force and motion analysis.Taylor bubble length is introduced into the model as an important parameter.Dynamic experiments were carried out in the pipe with an inner diameter of 20 mm.The liquid film thickness,Taylor bubble velocity and length were measured by distributed ultrasonic sensor and intrusive cross-correlation conductivity sensor.Comparing the predicted value of the model with the measured results,the relative error is controlled within 10%.

Temperature Dependence of Osciliating Frequency of an Electrode-Separated Piezoelectric Sensor

In this paper, the dependences of the frequeucy-temperature coefficient (df/dt) of an electrode-sepa-rated piezolectric sensor(ESPS) on desity, viscosity, permittivity and conductivity of the solution to be tested were investigated’ A comparison of the frequency -temperature coefficient between the ESPS and a conwentioal piezoelectric quartz crystal was made, In a nou-electrolyte liquid, the df/dt)walwe of the ESPS increases with the increase of viscosity, density and permittivity of the liquid There is df/dt>0 in low or high conductivity solutions, but df/dt>0 in middle conductivity solution.And two zoues where df/dt is approximately equal to zero are observed in electrolyte

Quantitative research of the liquid film characteristics in upward vertical gas, oil and water flows

The study of liquid film characteristics in multiphase flow is a very important research topic, however,the characteristics of the liquid film around Taylor bubble structure in gas, oil and water three-phase flow are not clear. In the present study, a novel liquid film sensor is applied to measure the distributed signals of the liquid film in three-phase flow. Based on the liquid film signals, the liquid film characteristics including the structural characteristics and the nonlinear dynamics characteristics in three-phase flows are investigated for the first time. The structural characteristics including the proportion, the appearance frequency and the thickness of the liquid film are obtained and the influences of the liquid and gas superficial velocities and the oil content on them are investigated. To investigate the nonlinear dynamics characteristics of the liquid film with the changing flow conditions, the entropy analysis is introduced to successfully uncover and quantify the dynamic complexity of the liquid film behavior.