• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2006.06a
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• pp.390-391
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• 2006

This paper describes the design, fabrication and characteristics of a micromachined piezoelectric valve utilizing a multilayer ceramic actuator (MCA). The micromachined MCA valve, which uses a buckling effect, consists of three separate structures: the MCA, the valve actuator die and the seat die. The valve seat die with 6 trenches was made, and the actuator die, which is driven by the MCA under optimized conditions, was also fabricated. After Si wafer direct bonding between the seat die and the actuator die, the MCA was also anodically bonded to the seat/actuator die structure. A polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) sealing pad was fabricated to minimize the leak rate. Finally, the PDMS sealing pad was also bonded to the seat die and the stainless steel package. The MCA valve shows a flow rate of 9.13 sccm at an applied DC voltage of 100 V with a 50% duty cycle and a maximum non-linearity of 2.24% FS. Therefore, the fabricated MCA valve is suitable for a variety of flow control equipment, as a medical bio-system and in the automobile industry.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2013.08a
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• pp.274.1-274.1
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• 2013

We report the circumferential alignment of human aortic smooth muscle cells (HASMCs) in an orthogonally micropatterned circular microfluidic channel to form an in vivo-like smooth muscle cell layer. To realize a biomimetic smooth muscle cell layer which is aligned perpendicular to the axis of blood vessel, we first fabricated a half-circular polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microchannel by soft lithography using a convex PDMS mold. The orthogonally micro wrinkle patterns were generated inside the half-circular microchannel by stretching-releasing operation under UV irradiation. Upon UV treatment with uniaxial 40 % stretch of a PDMS substrate and releasing process, the microwrinkle patterns perpendicular to the axial direction of the circular microchannel were generated, which could guide the circumferential alignment of HASMCs successfully during cultivation. The analysis of orientation angle, shape index, and contractile protein marker expression indicates that the cultured HASMCs revealed the in vivo-like cell phenotype. Finally, we produced circular microchannels by bonding two half-circular microchannels, and cultured the HASMCs circumferentially with high alignment and viability for 5 days. These results are the first demonstration for constructing an in vivo-like 3D smooth muscle cell layer in the circular microfluidic channel which can provide novel bioassay platforms for in-depth study of HASMC biology and vascular function.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.535-547
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• 2012

Controlling the balance of motion in a context involving a biped robot navigating a rugged surface or a step is a difficult task. In the present study, a $3{\times}5$ flexible piezoelectric tactile sensor array is developed to provide a foot pressure map and zero moment point for a biped robot. We introduce an innovative concept involving structural electrodes on a piezoelectric film in order to improve the sensitivity. The tactile sensor consists of a polymer piezoelectric film, PVDF, between two patterned flexible print circuit substrates (FPC). Additionally, a silicon rubber bump-like structure is attached to the FPC and covered by a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) layer. Experimental results show that the output signal of the sensor exhibits a linear behavior within 0.2 N ~ 9 N, while its sensitivity is approximately 42 mV/N. According to the characteristic of the tactile sensor, the readout module is designed for an in-situ display of the pressure magnitudes and distribution within $3{\times}5$ taxels. Furthermore, the trajectory of the zero moment point (ZMP) can also be calculated by this program. Consequently, our tactile sensor module can provide the pressure map and ZMP information to the in-situ feedback to control the balance of moment for a biped robot.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.261-266
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• 2008

A variety of end-functionalized polymers were grafted spontaneously onto multi-walled carbon nano-tubes (MWNTs) using a solution mixing process. The end-functional groups of the polymers underwent noncovalent grafting to the defect sites at the surface of the purified MWNTs through zwitterionic interaction or hydrogen bonding. The physically grafted polymers including polystyrene (PS), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), polyethylene oxide (PEO), and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) provided sufficient compatibility with an organic solvent or polymer matrix, such that the nanotubes could be finely dispersed in various organic media. This approach is universally applicable to a broad range of polymer-solvent pairs, ensuring highly dispersed carbon nanotubes through simple solution mixing.

• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.119-125
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• 2019

Piezoelectric energy harvesting technology is attracting attention, as it can be used to convert more accessible mechanical energy resources to periodic electricity. Recent developments in the field of piezoelectric energy harvesters (PEHs) are associated with nanocomposites made from inorganic piezoelectric nanomaterials and organic elastomers. Here, we used the $BaTiO_3$ nanoparticles and piezoelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) polymeric matrix to fabricate the nanocomposites-based PEH to improve the output performance of PEHs. The piezoelectric nanocomposite is produced by dispersing the inorganic piezo-ceramic nanoparticles inside an organic piezo-polymer and subsequently spin-coat it onto a metal plate. The fabricated organic-inorganic piezoelectric nanocomposite-based PEH harvested the output voltage of ~1.5 V and current signals of ~90 nA under repeated mechanical pushings: these values are compared to those of energy devices made from non-piezoelectric polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomers and supported by a multiphysics simulation software.

• International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing-Green Technology
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• v.5 no.5
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• pp.651-658
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• 2018

We comprehensively investigated the wrinkles of a stiff layer covering a spherical void embedded in a rubber matrix after the void experienced inflation or contraction. We developed an easy experimental way to realize the inflation and contraction of the voids. The inflation took place in a void right beneath the surface of the matrix and the contraction happened in a void at the bottom of the rubber matrix. In the inflation, the wrinkle at the center of the deformation was random, and the pattern propagated into rabyrinthine, herringbone, and then oriented parallel lines as the position was away from the center of the inflation to the edge. The cracks were concentric, which were perpendicular to the parallel wrinkled pattern. In the contraction, the wrinkle was simply concentric around the surface of the void without any crack. The cracks were found only near the center of the deformation. The strain distribution in the stiff layer after the inflation and contraction was theoretically analyzed with simulations that were in excellent agreement with the experimental results.

• Journal of the Semiconductor & Display Technology
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.31-35
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• 2017

We have fabricated flexible and stretchable pressure sensors using silver nanowires (AgNWs) and analyzed their electric responses. AgNWs are spray coated directly onto uncured polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) such that AgNWs penetrate into the uncured PDMS, enhancing the adhesion properties of AgNWs. However, the single-layered AgNW sensor exhibits unstable electric response and low pressure sensitivity. To tackle it, we have coated a conductive polymer, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) onto the AgNW layer. Such a hybrid bilayer sensor ensures a stable electric response because the over-coating layer of PEDOT:PSS effectively suppresses the protrusion of AgNWs from PDMS during release. To enhance the sensitivity further, we have also fabricated a stacked bilayer AgNW sensor. However, its electric response varies depending sensitively on the initial overlap pressure.

• Composites Research
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.365-370
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• 2018

One of the critical parameters to improve the output power for triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) is the surface charge density. In this work, we modify the tribo-material of TENG by introducing the $TiO_x$ embedded Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) in anatase and rutile phase. The effect of dielectric constant and electronic structure of the $TiO_x$ on the capacitance of TENG and the output power as well are discussed. The surface charge density is increased as the control of the dielectric constant in difference weight percent of $TiO_x$ and PDMS. As the results of that, the 5% $TiO_x$ rutile phase and 7% $TiO_x$ anatase phase embedded PDMS exhibit the highest TENG output. The peak value of voltage/current obtained from $TiO_x$ rutile and anatase phase are ${\sim}180V/8.2{\mu}A$ and $211.6V/8.7{\mu}A$, respectively, at the external force of 5 N and working frequency of 5 Hz, which gives over 12-fold and 15-fold power enhancement compared with the TENG based on the pristine PDMS film. This study provides a better understanding for TENG performance enhancement from the materials view.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.205-215
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• 2019

A flexible polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)/polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) composite prototype with high piezoelectricity and force sensitivity was constructed, and its huge potential for applications such as biomechanical energy harvesting, self-powered health monitoring system, and pressure sensors was proved. The crystallization, piezoelectric, and electrical properties of the composites were characterized using an X-ray diffraction (XRD) experiment and customized experimental setups. The composite can sustain up to 100% strain, which is a huge improvement over monolithic PVDF fibers and other PVDF-based composites in the literature. The Young's modulus is 1.64 MPa, which is closely matched with the flexibility of the human skin, and shows the possibility for integrating PVDF/PDMS composites into wearable devices and implantable medical devices. The $300{\mu}m$ thick composite has a 14% volume fraction of PVDF fibers and produces high piezoelectricity with piezoelectric charge constants $d_{31}=19pC/N$ and $d_{33}=34pC/N$, and piezoelectric voltage constants $g_{31}=33.9mV/N$ and $g_{33}=61.2mV/N$. Under a 10 Hz actuation, the output voltage was measured at 190 mVpp, which is the largest output signal generated from a PVDF fiber-based prototype.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.251-255
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• 2019

We propose a two-step lithography process to minimize edge-bead issues caused by thick photoresist (PR) coating. In the conventional PR process, the edge bead can be efficiently removed by applying an edge-bead removal (EBR) process while rotating the silicon wafer at a high speed. However, applying conventional EBR to the production of desired PR mold with unique negative patterns cannot be used because a lower rpm of spin coating and a lower temperature in the soft bake process are required. To overcome this problem, a two-step lithography process was developed in this study and applied to the fabrication of a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) film having super-hydrophobic characteristics. Following UV exposure with a first photomask, the exposed part of the silicon wafer was selectively removed by applying a PR developer while rotating at a low rpm. Then, unique PR mold structures were prepared by employing an additional under-exposure process with a second mask, and the mold patterns were transferred to the PDMS. Results showed that the fabricated PDMS film based on the two-step lithography process reduced the height difference from 23% to 5%. In addition, the water contact angle was greatly improved by spraying of hydrophobic nanosilica on the dual-scaled PDMS surface.