Australian researchers have made a significant breakthrough by developing a molecular-sized version of an electronic sensor. This advancement has the potential to bring widespread benefits.
Piezoresistors, commonly used in electronics and automobiles, are able to detect vibrations. They are utilized in various applications such as step counting in smartphones and airbag deployment in cars. Additionally, they are used in medical devices like implantable pressure sensors, as well as in aviation and space travel.
In a nationwide initiative, Dr. Nadim Darwish from Curtin University, Professor Jeffrey Reimers from the University of Technology Sydney, Associate Professor Daniel Kosov from James Cook University, and Dr. Thomas Fallon from the University of Newcastle have successfully developed a piezoresistor that is approximately 500,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair.
The research paper, titled “Controlling Piezoresistance in Single Molecules through the Isomerisation of Bullvalenes,” has been published in Nature Communications.
Dr. Darwish explained that they have created a more sensitive and miniaturized version of this essential electronic component. This component converts force or pressure into an electrical signal and is used in numerous everyday applications.
2023-10-03 09:24:03
Link from phys.org