The current state of wireless sensing technologies possesses a good reliability in terms of time response and sensing on movable parts or in embedded structures. Nevertheless, these tech- nologies involve energy supply such as battery and suffer from low resolution and bulky signal conditioning system for data processing. Thus, a RFID passive wireless sensor is a good candidate to overcome these issues. The feasibility of implementing microstrip patch antennas for sensing application were successfully investigated; however, low sensitivity was always a big issue to be concerned. Sensors based on nanocomposites attracted a lot of attention because of their excellent performance in term of light weight, high sensitivity, good stability and high resistance to corrosion but it lacks the capability of high conductivity, which limit their implication into RFID applications. This work introduces a novel high sensitive passive wireless strain and temperature sensors based on nanocomposites as sensing layer. To accomplish this, intrinsically conductive polymer based on carbon nanofillers nanocomposites are deeply studied and characterized. Then it’s performance is evaluated. Among them a novel tertiary nanocomposite is introduced, which opens the gate to new nanocomposite applications and thus broad- ens the application spectrum. Understanding the transport mechanism to improve the conductivity of the nanocomposite and extracting individually different models based on physical explanation of their piezoresistivity, and behavior under temperature and humidity have been developed. Afterwards, selected nanocomposites based on their high sensitivity to either strain or temperature are chosen to be used as sensing layer for patch antenna. The fabricated patch antenna has only one fundamental frequency, by determining the shift in its resonance frequency as function of the desired property to be measured; the wireless sensor characteristics are then examined. For strain sensing, the effect of strain is tested experimentally with the help of end-loaded beam measurement setup. For temperature sensing, the sensors are loaded in a controlled temperature/humid chamber and with the help of a vector network analyzer, the sensitivity of the antennas are extracted by acquiring the shift in the resonance frequency. The fabricated wireless sensors based on patch antenna are fabricated on very low lossy material to improve their gain and radiation pattern. This approach could be expanded also to include different type of substrates such as stretchable substrates i.e. elastomer polymer, very thing substrates such as Kapton, paper-based substrates or liquid crystal polymer.

The objective of this study was to evaluate and gain a better understanding of the short-term impact performance and the long-term durability of electrically conductive adhesives for electronic interconnection applications. Three model conductive adhesives, designated as ECA1, ECA2 and ECA3, supplied by Emerson & Cuming, were investigated, in conjunction with printed circuit board (PCB) substrates with metallizations of Au/Ni/Cu and Cu, manufactured by Triad Circuit Inc. Effects of environmental aging on the durability of conductive adhesives and their joints were evaluated. All the samples for both mechanical tests and thermal tests were aged at 85%, 100%RH for periods of up to 50 days. Studies of bulk conductive adhesives suggested that both plasticization, which is reversible and further crosslinking and thermal degradation, which are irreversible, might have occurred upon exposure of ECAs to the hot/wet environment. The durability of electrically conductive adhesive joints was then investigated utilizing the double cantilever beam (DCB) test. It was observed that the conductive adhesive joint was significantly weakened following hydrothermal aging, and there was a transition from cohesive failure to interfacial failure as aging continued. A comparative study of the durability of different conductive adhesive and substrate metallization combinations suggested that the resistance of the adhesive joints to moisture attack is related to the adhesive properties, as well as the substrate metallizations. It was noted that the gold/adhesive interface had better resistance to moisture attack than the copper/adhesive interface. A reasonable explanation of this phenomenon was given based upon the concept of surface free energy and interfacial free energy. XPS analysis was performed on the fractured surfaces of DCB samples. For adhesive joints with copper metallization, copper oxide was detected on the failed surfaces upon exposure of the conductive adhesive joints following aging. XPS analysis on the fractured surfaces of adhesive joints with Au metallization suggested that diffusion of Cu to the Au surface might have happened on the Au/Ni/Cu plated PCB substrates during aging. The impact performance of conductive adhesives was quantitatively determined using a falling wedge test. This unique impact resistance testing method could serve as a useful tool to screen conductive adhesives at the materials level for bonding purpose. Moreover, this test could also provide some useful information for conductive adhesive development. This study revealed that the viscoelastic energy, which is a result of the internal friction created by chain motions within the adhesive material, played an important role in the impact fracture behavior of the conductive adhesives. This study also demonstrated that the loss factor, evaluated at the impact environment conditions, is a good indicator of a conductive adhesive's ability to withstand impact loading. / Ph. D.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / The link between volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from breath and various diseases and specific conditions has been identified since long by the researchers. Canine studies and breath sample analysis on Gas chromatography/ Mass Spectroscopy has proven that there are VOCs in the breath that can detect and potentially predict hypoglycemia. This project aims at developing a smart nanosensor system to detect hypoglycemia from human breath. The sensor system comprises of 1-Mercapto-(triethylene glycol) methyl ether functionalized goldnanoparticle (EGNPs) sensors coated with polyetherimide (PEI) and poly(vinylidene fluoride -hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) and polymer composite sensor made from PVDF-HFP-Carbon Black (PVDF-HFP/CB), an interface circuit that performs signal conditioning and amplification, and a microcontroller with Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to control the interface circuit and communicate with an external personal digital assistant. The sensors were fabricated and tested with 5 VOCs in dry air and simulated breath (a mixture of air, small portion of acetone, ethanol at high humidity) to investigate sensitivity and selectivity. The name of the VOCs is not disclosed herein but these VOCs have been identified in-breath and are identified as potential biomarkers for other diseases as well. The sensor hydrophobicity has been studied using contact angle measurement. The GNPs size was verified using Ultra-Violent-Visible (UV-VIS) Spectroscopy. Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM) image is used to show GNPs embedded in the polymer film. The sensors sensitivity increases by more than 400\% in an environment with relative humidity (RH) of 93\% and the sensors show selectivity towards VOCs of interest. The interface circuit was designed on Eagle PCB and was fabricated using a two-layer PCB. The fabricated interface circuit was simulated with variable resistance and was verified with experiments. The system is also tested at different power source voltages and it was found that the system performance is optimum at more than 5 volts. The sensor fabrication, testing methods, and results are presented and discussed along with interface circuit design, fabrication, and characterization. / 2022-05-8

Husqvarna är ett företag som bland annat tillverkar skyddskläder avsedda för arbete i skogen. På uppdrag av Husqvarna skall möjligheten att integrera elektronik i skyddskläder undersökas, vilket ligger till grund för följande arbete. Genom en litteraturstudie har möjliga tekniker studerats. Baserat på det faktum att skyddskläder oftast är vävda valdes vävning som teknik. Olika typer av ledande material i form av garner undersöktes genom att resistansen hos dessa uppmättes. Därefter gjordes ett urval utav de konduktiva materialen där de med lägst resistans togs vidare för testning och prototypframtagning. Prover med kanaler som det konduktiva materialet lades in i vävdes fram. Dessutom laminerades vissa provkroppar som innehöll icke-isolerat konduktivt garn. Lamineringens syfte var att isolera det ledande garnet och därmed skydda arbetaren från stötar och systemet från att kortslutas. Det utfördes sedan tester på de tillverkade provkropparna som undersökte tåligheten mot tvätt och svett. Tvättestet gjordes i enlighet med SS- EN ISO 6330:2012 och för svettestet konstruerades en egen metod eftersom det i nuläget inte finns en standard som involverar svettlösning och konduktiva material i textil. Efter tvättestet visade det sig att det laminat som användes inte är att rekommendera då det lossnade på majoriteten av provkropparna. Däremot påverkades inte resistansen i garnen nämnvärt av tvättningen. Det resultat som erhölls av svettestet visade på att laminatet bidrog till att ingen kontakt mellan de ledande banorna uppstod. Laminatet är trots det inte att föredra på grund av dess påverkan i tvättestet. Utöver det var det endast de prov som innehöll endast FISK-kabel som klarade sig från att få kontakt mellan de ledande banorna. Då elektronik och textil inte vanligtvis används tillsammans är möjligheten att separera de olika systemen vid återvinning av plagget nödvändig. Ur miljösynpunkt är det därför fördelaktigt att integrera elektroniken så lite som möjligt, eftersom den då blir lättare att separera från tyget. Dessutom möjliggör det för eventuella reparationer av de olika komponenterna, vilket i sin tur kan förlänga hela produktens livslängd. För komfortens och säkerhetens skull måste dock elektroniken och ledningsbanorna integreras betydligt mer. Det bästa alternativet för att integrera elektronik i ett plagg för det här ändamålet är antagligen att placera ledningsbanorna i förslagsvis ett fodertyg. Rekommendationen är en tunn isolerad kabel som läggs i kanaler i tyget. Eftersom den här studien gjorts som en undersökning till om det skulle vara möjligt att integrera elektronik i skyddskläder krävs vidare produktutveckling och designarbete för att ett skyddsplagg med smarta funktioner ska bli verklighet. / Husqvarna is a company that manufactures workwear intended for work in the forest. On behalf of Husqvarna, the possibility of integrating electronics into workwear will be investigated, which is the basis for this work. Through a literature study possible techniques have been studied. Due to the fact that workwear usually is of woven structure, weaving was chosen as the technique. Different types of conductive materials were examined by measuring the electrical resistance. A selection was made of the conductive materials with the lowest resistance for further testing and prototype development. Specimens were woven with canals, into which the conductive material was inserted. In addition, specimens containing non-insulated conductive yarn were laminated. The purpose of the lamination was to insulate the conductive yarn and thereby protect the worker from electrical shocks and cause a short curcuit. Tests were then performed on the manufactured specimens which examined the resistance to washing and sweat. The washing test was done on the basis of SS-EN ISO 6330: 2012 and for the sweat test an own method was constructed, because there is currently no standard that involves sweat and conductive materials in textiles. After washing tests it turned out that the laminate is not to recommend as it came loose on the majority of the specimens. However, the electrical resistance was not significantly affected by the washing. The results obtained from the sweat test showed that the laminate prevented contact between the conductive lines. Nevertheless, the laminate is not to be preferred in this case due to how it was affected in the washing test. In addition, only those specimens that contained only FISK-cable managed to not create contact between the conductive paths. As electronics and textiles are not usually used together, the possibility of separating the different systems when recycling the garment is necessary. From an environmental point of view, it is therefore advantageous to integrate the electronics as little as possible, as it will then be easier to separate from the fabric. In addition, it allows for possible repairs of the various components, which can extend the life of the entire product. For the sake of comfort, however, the electronics and wiring must be integrated much more. The best option for integrating electronics into a garment for this purpose is probably to place the conduits in a lining fabric with a thin insulated cable lying in canals in the fabric. This study´s purpose was to determine whether it would be possible to integrate electronics into workwear, further product development and designwork is neccessary in order to create garments with smart features.

No description available.

<p>As the future of energy looks increasingly electrified, the development of safe and sustainable battery technologies has never been more relevant. This is particularly critical for applications in stationary energy storage and transportation, where batteries must be produced and stored at large scale. Sustainability is necessary to meet the volume of demand at reasonable cost without straining resources. Safety is also paramount since fires can easily spread from one cell to the next and result in catastrophe when batteries are stored in proximity for large power banks or EVs. The focus of this thesis is thus to design and engineer materials for rechargeable batteries, which improve safety and sustainability while still enhancing the electrochemical performance. Towards this end, polymers play a central role throughout this thesis work due to their tunable chemical and physical properties.</p>

No description available.

Da Kunststoffe im Allgemeinen einen spezifischen Oberflächenwiderstand von >10E12 Ω besitzen, müssen die Materialien zur Vermeidung von elektrostatischen Aufladungen bei Bauelementen der Elektroindustrie antistatisch ausgerüstet werden. Durch elektrostatische Aufladungen können die Bauelemente eine Beeinträchtigung ihrer Funktion erfahren und Personen gefährden. Weiterhin ermöglicht die Absenkung des spezifischen Oberflächenwiderstandes eine elektrostatische (Pulver-)Lackierung. Für die Herstellung von Kunststoffen mit kleinem spezifischen Durchgangswiderstand ist der Zusatz von leitenden Substanzen, wie z. B: Leitfähigkeitsruß, Graphit, Eisenoxid-, Kupfer- oder Aluminiumteilchen, metallisierte Glasfasern oder –kugeln, Edelstahlfasern oder Kohlenstofffasern, üblich. Die Substanzen werden dabei physikalisch in die Polymermatrix eingemischt. Je höher der Volumenanteil der Additive für die benötigte Ableitfähigkeit bezogen auf die Gesamtrezeptur ist, desto größer ist jedoch auch der Einfluss dieser Additive auf die mechanischen Eigenschaften in Relation zum unadditivierten Ausgangsmaterial. Unterschiedliche Polaritäten und Oberflächenspannungen von Additiv und Matrix bedingen zudem Probleme bei der Homogenisierung der Additive in der Matrix. Eine homogene Verteilung über das Volumen ist jedoch Voraussetzung dafür mit möglichst wenig Additiv die Perkolationsschwelle zu erreichen. Aus dieser Sicht hat sich eine reaktive Ankopplung von leitfähigen Gruppen an Matrix- oder sonstige geeignete Rezepturbestandteile in der Vergangenheit, z.B. für MDF, als erfolgreicher Weg erwiesen. Ziel war es, dieses Konzept auf duroplastische Kunststoffe zu übertragen und dessen spezifischen Oberflächenwiderstand von >10E12 Ω abzusenken. Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit sollten die Materialien SMC (Sheet molding compound) und Epoxidharzlaminate eine antistatische Ausrüstung erhalten.

Conductive Atomic Force Microscope (c-AFM) was used to measure the conductivity of single horse spleen ferritin (HoSF) and azotobacter vinelandii bacterial ferritin (AvBF) molecules deposited on flat gold surfaces. A 500 micron diameter gold ball was also used as a contact probe to measure the conductivity of a thin film of ferritin molecules. The average current measured for holo HoSF was 13 and 5 times larger than that measured for apo HoSF as measured by c-AFM at 1V and gold ball at 2V and respectively, which indicates that the core of ferritin is more conductive than the protein shell and that conduction through the shell is likely the main factor limiting electron transfer. With 1 volt applied, the average electrical currents through single holo HoSF and single apo HoSF molecules were 2.6 pA and 0.19 pA respectively. Measurements on holo AvBF showed it was more than 10 times as conductive as holo HoSF, indicating that the protein shell of AvBF is more conductive than that of HoSF. The increased conductivity of AvBF is attributed to heme groups in the protein shell.

A common method of cancer treatment is radiation therapy. In radiation therapy, a treatment planning system is made to specify the dose of X-rays needed to eradicate the tumor. To assure the right amount of X-ray dosage a quality assurance is using a phantom containing radiation sensors. The sensors are made of semiconductor materials with heavy metal-based contacts. Irradiating heavy elements with a high-intensity beam such as Xrays causes secondary scattering of electrons, resulting in an additional photocurrent which may distort the signal used in the quality analysis. By exchanging the heavy-metal contact material to a lighter version such as a carbon-based material, preventing secondary scattering, the error obtained from the quality analysis can be minimized.In this thesis, characterization of contacts between radiation diodes and a copper substrate by flip-chip bonding with reduced graphene oxide-based anisotropic conducting adhesive is made. The parameters of the connections are characterized with respect to electrical, thermal and mechanical properties.Analysis of the novel contact material is done by comparing different types of graphene-based anisotropic fillers with a commercial metal-based filler. Results obtained indicate that it is possible to exchange the metal-based fillers in an anisotropic conducting adhesive with reduced graphene oxide coated polymer spheres as a contacting material for radiation sensing technology. / En vanlig metod som används för att behandla cancer är strålningsterapi. I strålningsterapi görs ett behandlingsplaneringssystem för att specificera en exakt dos av röntgenstrålning som krävs för att slå ut en tumör. För att säkerställa att man ger rätt dos av röntgenstrålning utförs en kvalitetssäkring genom att använda en fantom innehållande strålningssensorer. Sensorerna är gjorda av halvledarmaterial men har oftast anslutningar gjorda av tunga metalliska material. När man bestrålar metaller med hög intensitet, exempelvis röntgenstrålning, emitteras en sekundär spridning av elektroner i form av en fotoström som kan störa signalen i kvalitetsäkrningen. Genom att byta ut metallen som används i anslutningarna till ett kontaktmaterial med lägre atomnummer som exempelvis kolbaserade material, förhindras den sekundära spridningen av elektroner, som troligtvis minskar felet som uppstår vid kvalitetssäkringen.I detta arbete har en kartläggning av kontakter mellan stålningsdioder och ett kopparsubstrat, genom en flip-chip-bindning process med ett ledande adhesiv baserat på reducerad grafenoxid gjorts. Kontaktparametrarna som kartlagts är baserade på termiska, elektriska och mekaniska egenskaper.Kartläggningen av kontakterna har i mestadels gjort genom att jämföra olika typer av grafen baserade partiklar ett kommersiellt metalbaserat material gjort för flip-chipbindning. Resultaten från arbetet indikerar att det är möjligt att byta ut det metallbaserade partiklarna i ett anisotropt ledande adhesiv med reducerade grafenoxid-belagda polymersfärer som ett ledande material för strålningsapplikationer.