Electronic skin: multisensory hybrid material
Even more sensitive than a human fingertip
The “smart skin” developed by Anna Maria Coclite is very similar to human skin. It senses pressure, humidity and temperature simultaneously and produces electronic signals. More sensitive robots or more intelligent prostheses are thus conceivable.
Smart skin is a wafer-thin material that reacts simultaneously to force, moisture and temperature with extremely high spatial resolution and emits corresponding electronic signals.
Lunghammer - TU Graz
The skin is the largest sensory organ and at the same time the protective coat of the human being. It “feels” several sensory inputs at the same time and reports information about humidity, temperature and pressure to the brain. For Anna Maria Coclite, a material with such multisensory properties is “a kind of ‘holy grail’ in the technology of intelligent artificial materials. In particular, robotics and smart prosthetics would benefit from a better integrated, more precise sensing system similar to human skin.” The ERC grant winner and researcher at the Institute of Solid State Physics at TU Graz has succeeded in developing the three-in-one hybrid material “smart skin” for the next generation of artificial, electronic skin using a novel process. The result of this pioneering research has now been published in the journal Advanced Materials Technologies.
As delicate as a fingertip
For almost six years, the team worked on the development of smart skin as part of Coclite’s ERC project Smart Core. With 2,000 individual sensors per square millimetre, the hybrid material is even more sensitive than a human fingertip. Each of these sensors consists of a unique combination of materials: an smart polymer in the form of a hydrogel inside and a shell of piezoelectric zinc oxide. Coclite explains: “The hydrogel can absorb water and thus expands upon changes in humidity and temperature. In doing so, it exerts pressure on the piezoelectric zinc oxide, which responds to this and all other mechanical stresses with an electrical signal.”
The result is a wafer-thin material that reacts simultaneously to force, moisture and temperature with extremely high spatial resolution and emits corresponding electronic signals. “The first artificial skin samples are six micrometres thin, or 0.006 millimetres. But it could be even thinner,” says Anna Maria Coclite. In comparison, the human epidermis is 0.03 to 2 millimetres thick. The human skin perceives things from a size of about one square millimetre. The smart skin has a resolution that is a thousand times smaller and can register objects that are too small for human skin (such as microorganisms).
Material processing at the nanoscale
The individual sensor layers are very thin and at the same time equipped with sensor elements covering the entire surface. This was possible in a worldwide unique process for which the researchers combined three known methods from physical chemistry for the first time: a chemical vapour deposition for the hydrogel material, an atomic layer deposition for the zinc oxide and nanoprint lithography for the polymer template. The lithographic preparation of the polymer template was the responsibility of the research group “Hybrid electronics and structuring” headed by Barbara Stadlober. The group is part of Joanneum Research’s Materials Institute based in Weiz.
Several fields of application are now opening up for the skin-like hybrid material. In healthcare, for example, the sensor material could independently detect microorganisms and report them accordingly. Also conceivable are prostheses that give the wearer information about temperature or humidity, or robots that can perceive their environment more sensitively. On the path to application, smart skin scores with a decisive advantage: the sensory nanorods – the “smart core” of the material – are produced using a vapor-based manufacturing process. This process is already well established in production plants for integrated circuits, for example. The production of smart skin can thus be easily scaled and implemented in existing production lines.
The properties of smart skin are now being optimized even further. Anna Maria Coclite and her team – here in particular the PhD student Taher Abu Ali – want to extend the temperature range to which the material reacts and improve the flexibility of the artificial skin.
Original publication
Other news from the department science
These products might interest you
SprayMaster inspex by LaVision
Quality Control for Your Spraying Process Through Digital Spray and Particle Analysis
Reliable, Automated, Digital - The Geometry Measurement of Your Spraying Process in Real Time
VEGAPULS | VEGABAR | VEGASWING by VEGA Grieshaber
Cyber-safe level measurement - here's how it works
Find out more about the unique sensor for liquid and solid media
FireSting-PRO by PyroScience
New fiber optic measuring device: Precise measurements even in the smallest volumes
Measure pH, oxygen and temperature even under sterile conditions
Get the chemical industry in your inbox
From now on, don't miss a thing: Our newsletter for the chemical industry, analytics, lab technology and process engineering brings you up to date every Tuesday and Thursday. The latest industry news, product highlights and innovations - compact and easy to understand in your inbox. Researched by us so you don't have to.
Most read news
More news from our other portals
See the theme worlds for related content
Topic world Sensor technology
Sensor technology has revolutionized the chemical industry by providing accurate, timely and reliable data across a wide range of processes. From monitoring critical parameters in production lines to early detection of potential malfunctions or hazards, sensors are the silent sentinels that ensure quality, efficiency and safety.
Topic world Sensor technology
Sensor technology has revolutionized the chemical industry by providing accurate, timely and reliable data across a wide range of processes. From monitoring critical parameters in production lines to early detection of potential malfunctions or hazards, sensors are the silent sentinels that ensure quality, efficiency and safety.
