Thin-film resistive-based sensor
First Claim
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1. A transducer comprising:
- a barrier layer having an average thickness of about 50 nm to about 50 μ
m;
an active sensing layer in contact with at least two electrodes, wherein said active sensing layer has a thickness of less than about 1,000 nm and is selected from the group consisting of carbon nanotubes, carbon nanotube fabrics, amorphous carbon films, graphite, graphene, pyrolytic carbon, carbon fibers, carbon black, silicon, conductive polymers, fullerenes carbon soot, and composites and mixtures of the foregoing; and
a dielectric layer between said active and barrier layers and having first and second sides, said at least two electrodes both being adjacent said dielectric layer second side, said transducer being a resistive transducer.
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Abstract
Printed resistive-based sensors and transducers comprising a thin, electronically “active” sensing layer within a dielectric and/or metallic layered structure are provided. The electronic resistance of the active sensing layer is measured during a change in the sensor environment. By utilizing a multi-layered architecture around the active sensing layer, the electronic signal of the sensing element can be improved. By carefully selecting the architecture and materials that surround the active sensing layer, the sensitivity, stability, and selectivity of the sensor to detect changes in the environment are improved. This design allows for a number of specific application areas for environmental sensing.
31 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A transducer comprising:
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a barrier layer having an average thickness of about 50 nm to about 50 μ
m;an active sensing layer in contact with at least two electrodes, wherein said active sensing layer has a thickness of less than about 1,000 nm and is selected from the group consisting of carbon nanotubes, carbon nanotube fabrics, amorphous carbon films, graphite, graphene, pyrolytic carbon, carbon fibers, carbon black, silicon, conductive polymers, fullerenes carbon soot, and composites and mixtures of the foregoing; and a dielectric layer between said active and barrier layers and having first and second sides, said at least two electrodes both being adjacent said dielectric layer second side, said transducer being a resistive transducer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method of detecting existence of a condition, said method comprising:
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introducing a transducer into an environment where said analyte might be present, said transducer comprising; a barrier layer having an average thickness of about 50 nm to about 50 μ
m;an active sensing layer in contact with at least two electrodes, wherein said active sensing layer has a thickness of less than about 1,000 nm and is selected from the group consisting of carbon nanotubes, carbon nanotube fabrics, amorphous carbon films, graphite, graphene, pyrolytic carbon, carbon fibers, carbon black, silicon, conductive polymers, fullerenes carbon soot, and composites and mixtures of the foregoing; and a dielectric layer between said active and barrier layers and having first and second sides, said at least two electrodes both being adjacent said dielectric layer second side; and observing whether said transducer indicates the existence of the condition, wherein said existence is indicated by a change in resistance. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19)
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Specification