Wearable Capacitive Pressure Sensor for Contact and Non-Contact Sensing and Pulse Waveform Monitoring

Sensitive and flexible pressure sensors have invoked considerable interest for a broad range of applications in tactile sensing, physiological sensing, and flexible electronics. The barrier between high sensitivity and low fabrication cost needs to be addressed to commercialize such flexible pressure sensors. A low-cost sacrificial template-assisted method for the capacitive sensor has been reported herein, utilizing a porous Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) polymer and a multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) composite-based dielectric layer. The sensor shows high sensitivity of 2.42 kPa⁻¹ along with a low limit of detection of 1.46 Pa. The high sensitivity originates from adding MWCNT to PDMS, increasing the composite polymer’s dielectric constant. Besides this, the pressure sensor shows excellent stability at a cyclic loading of 9000 cycles, proving its reliability for long-lasting application in tactile and physiological sensing. The high sensitivity of the sensor is suitable for the detection of small deformations such as pulse waveforms as well as tactile pressure sensing. In addition, the paper demonstrates a simultaneous contact and non-contact sensing capability suitable for dual sensing (pressure and proximity) with a single data readout system. The dual-mode sensing capability may open opportunities for realizing compact systems in robotics, gesture control, contactless applications, and many more. The practicality of the sensor was shown in applications such as tactile sensing, Morse code generator, proximity sensing, and pulse wave sensing.     

甲醇在Pd基电催化剂上的氧化

以多壁碳纳米管(MWCNT)和碳黑为载体, 用交替微波加热的方法制备了担载型Pd电催化剂, 并表征了其微观形貌和电化学性能. 透射电镜(TEM)和X射线衍射(XRD)结果显示, Pd在MWCNT载体上有较好的分散度, 平均粒径为4 nm. 循环伏安、计时电位和交流阻抗的测试结果表明, 在碱性溶液中, Pd/MWCNT显示出良好的甲醇氧化性能. 在Pd/MWCNT催化剂上, 甲醇氧化的起始电位比在Pt/C上负移100 mV 左右. Pd/MWCNT高的催化活性不仅与它的高的活性表面积有关, 而且和Pd与载体MWCNT之间的协同作用有关.     

Effect of reaction parameters on the growth of MWCNTs using mesoporous Sb/MCM-41 by chemical vapour deposition

Mesoporous Si-MCM-41 molecular sieve was synthesized hydrothermally and different wt.% of Sb (1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 5.0, 10.0, 15.0 and 20.0) was loaded on it by wet impregnation method. The Sb/MCM-41 materials were characterized by various physico-chemical techniques such as XRD, TGA and TEM. The TEM image showed a honeycomb structure of the host material. They were used as catalytic templates for the growth of MWCNTs by CVD method with different temperatures at 700, 800, 900 and 1000 °C using acetylene as a carbon precursor. The reaction temperature was optimized for the better formation of MWCNTs and they were purified and then characterized by XRD, SEM, HR-TEM and Raman spectroscopy techniques. The formation of MWCNTs with diameter in the range of 4−6 nm was observed from HR-TEM. The good thermal stability and high productivity of catalyst observed in this study revealed that the 2 wt.% Sb loaded MCM-41 could be a promising support for the catalytic synthesis of MWCNTs at 800 °C by CVD method.     

Investigation of hydrogen storage in MWCNT–TiO2 composite

The hydrogen storage capacity of MWCNT–TiO₂ composite has been evaluated in the present work. The composite has been prepared by means of ultrasonication followed by drop casting on substrates. Morphology, structural and functional group studies of the prepared samples are carried out by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy. Then, the samples are hydrogenated in the hydrogenation chamber as a function of time. Hydrogen storage capacity of the composite sample is found to be 0.9 wt% at 100 °C. Hydrogen uptake of the composite is accounted for the spillover mechanism in CNTs–metal oxide composite. Desorption temperature range, activation energy of desorption, binding energy of hydrogen are determined from thermogravimetric (TG) analysis.     

Effects of temperature change on the rheological property of modified multiwall carbon nanotubes

Applied Mathematics and Mechanics - Solvent-free nanofluids hold promise for many technologically significant applications. The liquid-like behavior, a typical rheological property of solvent-free...     

Synthesis of polymer grafted carbon nanotubes by nitroxide mediated radical polymerization in the presence of spin-labeled carbon nanotubes

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) were grafted with polystyrene by in situ nitroxide mediated radical polymerization in the presence of TEMPO (2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinyl-1-oxyl) functionalized MWCNT, which was synthesized by the reaction between 4-hydroxyl-TEMPO (HO-TEMPO) and carbonyl chloride groups on the MWCNT. Although the controllability of the polymerization was not high, highly soluble grafted MWCNTs were indeed obtained, indicating that the graft polymerization was efficient. The resulting polystyrene grafted MWCNTs were easily defunctionalized at room temperature using 3-chloroperoxybenzioc acid. TEM, SEM, and TGA were employed to determine the structure, morphology, and the grafting quantities of the resulting products.     

Morphological,rheological, and mechanical properties of ethylene propylene diene monomer/carboxylated styrene-butadiene rubber/multiwall carbon nanotube nanocomposites

Abstract

A hybrid nanocomposite based on ethylene propylene diene monomer/carboxylated styrene-butadiene rubber (EPDM/XSBR) blend with different concentrations (0–7 phr) of multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) was prepared on a two-roll mill. The role of grafted maleic anhydride (EPDM-g-MA) as compatibilizer and the effect of different concentrations of MWCNT on mechanical properties, morphology, rheological and curing characteristics of nanocomposites were investigated. The curing behavior of the prepared nanocomposites was studied using a rheometer. Also, the microstructure of nanocomposites was observed using TEM. By increasing the MWCNT concentration in the compatible blends, the curing time and scorch time of the blends decreased, while the maximum and minimum torque increased. Failure surface morphology studies showed that the existence of EPDM-g-MAH compatibilizer improved the distribution of MWCNT within the polymer matrix and uniform distribution of MWCNT with a small amount of aggregation was obtained. On the other hand, the presence of MWCNT in the matrix led to a sharper surface of the fracture. Also, mechanical properties such as modulus, tensile strength, hardness, fatigue, resilience and elongation-at-break for compatible EPDM/XSBR nanocomposite showed better results than those for incompatible composite.     

Fabrication of Co3O4 particles-modified multi-walled carbon nanotube and poly(phenosafranine) composite electrode for selective and sensitive rutin detection

The preparation and characterisation of a new composite electrode with Co₃O₄ particles-modified multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) and poly(phenosafranine), as well as its novel application for the voltammetric detection of rutin was described. The resulting composite electrode was characterised using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). In the optimised experimental conditions, the oxidation peak current (I_pa) of rutin showed a linear increase in concentration, between 0.008–0.6 and 0.80–6.0 μmol L⁻¹, with a detection limit of 0.00379 μmol L⁻¹. Due to its good selectivity and stability, the composite electrode was successfully applied in detecting rutin in pharmaceutical formulations.     

Synthesis of carbon nanotube‐based nanocomposite and application for wastewater treatment by ultrasonicated adsorption process

The sorption of methylene blue (MB) and basic yellow 28 (BY28) dyes in water on Ag@ZnO/MWCNT (Ag‐doped ZnO loaded on multiwall carbon nanotubes) nanocomposite is investigated in a batch process, optimizing starting initial dye concentration, sonication time and adsorbent mass. Isotherms and kinetic behaviours of MB and BY28 adsorption onto Ag@ZnO/MWCNT were explained by extended Freundlich and pseudo‐second‐order kinetic models. Ag@ZnO/MWCNT was synthesized and characterized using X‐ray diffraction, energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis. According to the experimental data, adaptive neuro‐fuzzy inference system (ANFIS), generalized regression neural network (GRNN), backpropagation neural network (BPNN), radial basic function neural network (RBFNN) and response surface methodology (RSM) were developed, and applied to forecast the removal performance of the sorbent. The influence of process variables (i.e. sonication time, initial dye concentration, adsorbent mass) on the removal of MB and BY28 was considered by central composite rotatable design of RSM, GRNN, ANFIS, BPNN and RBFNN. The performances of the developed ANFIS, GRNN, BPNN and RBFNN models were compared with RSM mathematical models in terms of the root mean square error, coefficient of determination, absolute average deviation and mean absolute error. The coefficients of determination calculated from the validation data for ANFIS, GRNN, BPNN, RBFNN and RSM models were 0.9999, 0.9997, 0.9883, 0.9898 and 0.9608 for MB and 0.9997, 0.9990, 0.9859, 0.9895 and 0.9593 for BY28 dye, respectively. The ANFIS model was found to be more precise compared to the other models. However, the GRNN method is much easier than the ANFIS method and needs less time for analysis. So, it has potential in chemometrics and it is feasible that the GRNN algorithm could be applied to model real systems. The monolayer adsorption capacity of MB and BY28 was 292.20 and 287.02 mg g^?1, respectively.     

Investigating properties of poly (ether‐amide)/MWCNT nanocomposite films containing 2,7‐bis(4‐aminophenoxy)naphthalene and isophthalic segments

Three nanocomposite films based on aramid (poly (ether‐amide), PEA) and multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) were prepared via solution casting method using 2,7‐bis(4‐aminophenoxy)naphthalene (4) and isophthalic acid (5) containing various amounts of MWCNT (2, 3, 5 wt.%). To comprehensively analyze the properties of the cast films as well as the monomers, different techniques were employed, namely FT‐IR, ¹H NMR, X‐ray diffraction, and field emission scanning electron microscopy. Also, thermal and tensile properties of PEA (6) and nanocomposite films were investigated using thermogravimetric analysis and mechanical analysis, respectively. The morphology, thermal, and mechanical properties of nanocomposite films approved that MWCNT had well dispersion in the PEA matrix and showed a synergistic effect on improving all of the investigated properties. Based on the thermogravimetric analysis results, employing MWCNT caused to increase in the char yields from 61 (in the neat PEA) to 66 (in the PEA /MWCNT nanocomposite 5 wt.%) under the nitrogen atmosphere. In comparison to the pristine PEA (426°C), the temperature at 10 losses mass % (T₁₀) was increased from 530°C to 576°C, with 2 to 5 wt.% of MWCNT. Mechanical analysis revealed that the tensile strength and initial modulus were improved by incorporating MWCNT into PEA (81.70–93.40 MPa and 2.10–2.22 GPa, respectively). Electrical conductivity of the PEA/MWCNT nanocomposites was displayed maximum value in the 5 wt.%, showing satisfactory value in many application areas. The X‐ray diffraction technique was employed to study the crystalline structure of the prepared nanocomposite films as well as PEA. In addition, the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy study demonstrated that the prepared nanocomposites had significant impedance improvement in the presence of MWCNTs.