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Measuring and Modeling Contractile Drying in Human Stratum Corneum
Published on: March 1, 2017
Computational models for the determination of depth-dependent mechanical properties of skin with a soft, flexible
Jianghong Yuan1, Canan Dagdeviren2, Yan Shi3
1Center for Mechanics and Materials, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People's Republic of China; AML, Department of Engineering Mechanics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, People's Republic of China; Department of Civil an Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA; Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA; Skin Disease Research Center, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.
Abstract:
Conformal modulus sensors (CMS) incorporate PZT nanoribbons as mechanical actuators and sensors to achieve reversible conformal contact with the human skin for non-invasive, in vivo measurements of skin modulus. An analytic model presented in this paper yields expressions that connect the sensor output voltage to the Young moduli of the epidermis and dermis, the thickness of the epidermis, as well as the material and geometrical parameters of the CMS device itself and its encapsulation layer. Results from the model agree well with in vitro experiments on bilayer structures of poly(dimethylsiloxane). These results provide a means to determine the skin moduli (epidermis and dermis) and the thickness of the epidermis from in vivo measurements of human skin.
