Abstract
A novel highly stretchable gas sensor is reported that is based on popup antenna reconfiguration due to the strain induced by the swelling of a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrate when exposed to diethyl ether. When the swollen substrate is removed from the volatile solvent environment, the PDMS volume increase is reversed leading to compressive stress in an attached antenna transforming a 2D structure to a 3D structure through mechanically induced shaping. This provides a low cost and simple route to tune the antenna resonant frequency and gain in direct response to a chemical stimulus. Our proposed solvent sensor is able to measure 0 to 60% PDMS swelling corresponding to diethyl ether concentrations up to 1620 ppm via a resonant frequency shift from 4 to 2.4 GHz. A fatigue life study indicated 103.5 life cycles which demonstrates the durability of these sensors to accommodate large strain and repeatability of the sensing process. Multiphysics Finite Element Method (FEM) modelling of the mechanical and RF simulations along with analytical results based on an equivalent circuit model were in good agreement with experimental data and demonstrate the potential of these structures as sensors.
Highlights
C HEMICAL vapor environmental exposure can occur from accidental spill during manufacture, distribution, and handling
The designed dipole was coupled to the structural mechanics module in COMSOL Multiphysics®software for evaluating the antenna shape after releasing 0-60% biaxial strain due to the PDMS swelling in the presence of chemical vapor (Fig. 2)
The model was coupled to the COMSOL mechanics simulation module to capture all mechanics aspects of 2D to 3D antenna transformation process including strain distribution during compressive buckling after releasing 0 to 60% strain in the PDMS
Summary
C HEMICAL vapor environmental exposure can occur from accidental spill during manufacture, distribution, and handling. The potential of PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) swelling in sensing applications is reported in [13]–[21] with antenna properties when embedded in PDMS substrate in [22]–[25]. Only a few publications have applied the swelling behavior of PDMS to vapor detection [27], [28] These designs are spacious and complex, respectively. This paper contributes by combining the swelling properties of PDMS on exposure to chemical vapor with the compressive buckling technique reported in [29]–[35] to introduce a state of the art and robust design for a highly stretchable gas sensor.
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