Graphene/P(VDF-TrFE) Heterojunction Based Wearable Sensors with Integrated Piezoelectric Energy Harvester

Graphene, with its outstanding material properties, including high carrier mobility, atomically thin nature, and ability to tolerate mechanical deformation related strain up to 20% before breaking, make it very attractive for developing highly sensitive and conformable strain/pressure sensor for wearable electronics. Unfortunately, graphene by itself is not piezoresistive, so developing a strain sensor utilizing just graphene is challenging. Fortunately, graphene synthesized on Cu foil can be transferred to arbitrary substrates (preserving its high quality), including flexible polymer substrates, which will allow the overall flexibility and conformability of the sensing element, to be maintained. Furthermore, a graphene/polymer based sensor devices can be easily patterned into an array over dimensions reaching several feet, taking advantage of large area synthesis of graphene, which will make the ultimate sensor very inexpensive. If a piezo-electric polymer, such as P(VDF-TrFE), is chosen to form a heterojunction with graphene, it will strongly affect the carrier density in graphene, due to the fixed charge developing on its surface under strain or pressure. Taking advantage of the high carrier mobility in graphene, such a charge change can result in very high sensitivity to pressure and strain. Hence, these features, coupled with the flexible nature of the device and ease of fabrication, make it a very attractive candidate for use in the growing wearable technology market, especially biomedical applications and smart health monitoring system as well as virtual reality sensors. In this dissertation, various unique properties of graphene and P(VDF-TrFE), and their current applications and trends are discussed in chapter 1. Additionally, synthesis of graphene and P(VDF-TrFE) and their characterizations by various techniques are investigated in chapter 2. Based on piezoelectric property of P(VDF-TrFE), a highly flexible energy harvesters on PDMS as well as PET substrates have been developed and demonstrated their performances in chapter 3. As follow-up research, graphene/P(VDF-TrFE) heterojunction based wearable sensors with integrated piezoelectric energy harvester on flexible substrates have also been fabricated and demonstrated for practical wearable application in chapter 4. Finally, major findings and future directions of the project are discussed in chapter 5

Effects of Ga Doping on Structural and Optical Properties of ZnO Nanorods

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Photoluminescence Properties of ZnO Disks Grown on Au Nano Thin Films Using Vapor Phase Transport

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Optical and structural properties of Al-Doped CdZnO Thin Films with different Al concentrations

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Emission wavelength tuning of porous silicon with ultra-thin ZnO capping layers by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy

Porous silicon (PS) was prepared by electrochemical anodization. Ultra-thin zinc oxide (ZnO) capping layers were deposited on the PS by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy (PA-MBE). The effects of the ZnO capping layers on the properties of the as-prepared PS were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and photoluminescence (PL). The as-prepared PS has circular pores over the entire surface. Its structure is similar to a sponge where the quantum confinement effect (QCE) plays a fundamental role. It was found that the dominant red emission of the porous silicon was tuned to white light emission by simple deposition of the ultra-thin ZnO capping alyers. Specifically, the intensity of white light emission was observed to be enhanced by increasing the growth time from 1 to 3 min.1111sciescopu

Structural and Optical Properties of ZnO Nanostructures with Various Distance Condition by Vapor Phase Transport

ZnO structures were grown on Au-catalyzed Si substrate with various distances between the source and substrate ranging from 5 to 50 mm by the vapor phase transport at the growth temperature of 900 degrees celcius in argon/oxygen ambient. The structural and optical properties of the ZnO structures were investigated by field-emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and photoluminescence. The ZnO structures exhibited different morphologies, such as nanowires and submicron particles. Particularly, when the distance from the source was 5 mm, it was observed the ZnO nanowires with diameters in the range of 70 to 250 nm and the narrowest full width at half maximum of X-ray diffraction and photoluminescence spectra with 0.061 degrees and 96 meV, respectively. Therefore, the ZnO nanowires had a high crystallinity and optical properties compared to the ZnO submicron particles.1101sciescopu

P(VDF-TrFE) Film on PDMS Substrate for Energy Harvesting Applications

We have developed and demonstrated a highly flexible P(VDF-TrFE) film-based energy harvesting device on a PDMS substrate, avoiding any complex composites and patterned structures. The structural and electrical properties of the P(VDF-TrFE) film was investigated using multiple characterization techniques and an optimized film of 7 µm thickness was used for the energy harvesting application. The device, with Ti/Ni metal contacts, was driven by a shaker providing an acceleration of 1.75 g, and frequencies varying from 5 to 30 Hz. The energy harvesting performance of the final fabricated device was tested using the shaker, and resulted in a maximum output capacitor voltage of 4.4 V, which successfully powered a set of 27 LEDs after several minutes of charging

Microchannel pressure sensor for continuous and real-time wearable gait monitoring

Abstract A highly sensitive and multi-functional pressure sensor capable of continuous pressure readings is greatly needed, particularly for precise gait pattern analysis. Here, we fabricate a sensitive and reliable pressure sensor by employing eutectic gallium indium (EGaIn) liquid metal as the sensing material and EcoFlex 00-30 silicone as the substrate, via a low-cost process. The device architecture features a microchannel, creating two independent sensing devices, and the mechanical properties of the substrate and sensing material contribute to high stretchability and flexibility, resulting in a sensitivity of 66.07 MPa−1 and a low measurement resolution of 0.056 kPa. The sensor detects applied pressure accurately and can distinguish pressure distribution across a wide area. We demonstrate high efficiency for monitoring human walking gait at various speeds when a single sensor is attached to the foot, and can differentiate between walking postures. This device has strong potential for clinical and rehabilitation applications in gait analysis

Green growth of mixed valence manganese oxides on quasi-freestanding bilayer epitaxial graphene-silicon carbide substrates

Nanostructured manganese oxides (MnOx) have shown incredible promise in constructing next-generation energy storage and catalytic systems. However, it has proven challenging to integrate with other low-dimensional materials due to harsh deposition conditions and poor structural stability. Here, we report the deposition of layered manganese dioxide (δ-MnO2) on bilayer epitaxial graphene (QEG) using a simple three-step electrochemical process involving no harsh chemicals. Using this process we can synthesize a 50 nm thick H–MnO2 film in 1.25s. This synthetic birnessite is inherently water-stabilized, the first reported in the literature. We also confirm that this process does not cause structural damage to the QEG, as evidenced by the lack of D peak formation. This QEG heterostructure enhanced MnO2's redox active gas sensing, enabling room temperature detection of NH3 and NO2. We also report on transforming this δ-MnO2 to other MnOx compounds, Mn2O3 and Mn3O4, via mild annealing. This is confirmed by Raman spectroscopy of the films, which also confirms limited damage to the QEG substrate. To our knowledge, this is the first synthesis of Mn2O3 and Mn3O4 on pristine graphene substrates. Both methods demonstrate the potential of depositing and transforming multifunctional oxides on single-crystal graphene using QEG substrates, allowing for the formation of nanostructured heterostructures previously unseen. Additionally, the electrochemical nature of the deposition presents the ability to scale the process to the QEG wafer and adjust the solution to produce other powerful multifunctional oxides

Effects of Ga concentration on the structural, electrical and optical properties of Ga-doped ZnO thin films grown by sol-gel method

Undoped ZnO and Ga-doped ZnO (GZO) thin films with different Ga concentrations were prepared by using the sol-gel spin-coating method. The surface morphologies and the growth orientations of the films were measured by using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction, respectively. The electrical properties were measured by using the Hall effect. The optical transmittances and reflectances of the films were measured as functions of the wavelength by UV-vis spectroscopy. The undoped ZnO thin films exhibited rough surfaces with particle-like structures. When Ga was incorporated, the particle sizes dramatically decreased without changes in the surface morphologies, and the c-axis growth orientations of the GZO thin films were significantly decreased. The optical transmittances clearly exhibited shifts in the band edge, and those in the visible range gradually increased with increasing Ga concentration. The absorption coefficients, refractive indices, extinction constants, dielectric constants, and optical conductivities of the films gradually decreased with increasing Ga concentration. © 2014 The Korean Physical Society.1451sciescopuskc