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Journal of Undergraduate Research

Keywords

piezoresistivity, ion beam serial-sections, nickel nanostrand composite materials

College

Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering and Technology

Department

Mechanical Engineering

Abstract

The development of a large-strain sensor technology will open doors for improved engineering design and scientific research in many fields. Such a technology would allow for advances in biomechanical engineering, e.g., prosthetic limb and artificial organ design. Additionally this kind of sensor technology could be used for tactile robotics and even structural health monitoring, such as in wind turbines or architectural structures. Our research group has developed a unique Silicone/Nickel Nanostrand/Nickel Coated Carbon Fiber (Si/NiNs/NCCF) nanocomposite that can measure strains of up to 50% elongation. The purpose of this project was to investigate how the nano-scale structure of this material may influence its piezoresistivity. Since charge transport in conductive polymer composites depends greatly upon the distance between conductive particles, our goal was to experimentally measure the inter-particle distance distribution.

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