Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 20, 2026
14:44
Scalable Fabrication of Stretchable, Dual Channel, Microfluidic Organ Chips
Published on: October 20, 2018
27.5K
Metal and Polymeric Strain Gauges for Si-Based, Monolithically Fabricated Organs-on-Chips
William F Quirós-Solano1,2,3, Nikolas Gaio4,5, Cinzia Silvestri5
1Department of Microelectronics, Electronic Components, Technology and Materials (ECTM), Delft University of Technology, Mekelweg 4, 2628 CD Delft, The Netherlands. w.f.quirossolano@tudelft.nl.
Micromachines
|August 25, 2019
Summary
This study developed metal and polymeric strain gauges for monitoring mechanical strain in heart-on-chip devices. These sensors enable in situ measurement of cellular mechanical environments, advancing organ-on-chip technology.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Materials Science
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Organ-on-chip (OOC) technology offers an alternative to traditional in vitro screening methods.
- Heart-on-chip devices utilize microstructures for mechanical and electrical stimulation to study cardiac cell development.
- In situ monitoring of mechanical strain is crucial for understanding cardiac cell behavior within OOC systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and optimize metal (titanium) and polymeric strain gauges for real-time mechanical strain monitoring.
- To investigate the performance and robustness of these strain gauges within a Cytostretch platform for heart-on-chip applications.
- To demonstrate the feasibility of using microfabricated strain gauges for sensing mechanical stimuli in OOC environments.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication and optimization of titanium strain gauges.
- Investigation of alternative polymeric materials for strain gauge development.
- Characterization of transduction behavior and functionality using a custom-built setup.
- Testing devices under pressure-induced membrane stretching (0-3 kPa) simulating physiological conditions.
Main Results:
- Successful demonstration of resistance changes in both titanium and polymeric strain gauges in response to applied pressure.
- Titanium strain gauges exhibited a relative resistance change of approximately 0.008% for 5% membrane deformation.
- Polymeric strain gauges showed a significantly higher relative resistance change of approximately 1.2% for 5% membrane deformation.
- Validation of the sensing capabilities for mechanical strain within the tested pressure range.
Conclusions:
- Both conventional integrated circuit (IC) metals and advanced polymeric materials are suitable for fabricating robust micro strain gauges.
- These microfabricated strain gauges can be effectively implemented for in situ sensing of mechanical strain in organ-on-chip devices.
- The developed strain gauges provide a valuable tool for advancing heart-on-chip research by enabling precise monitoring of mechanical cues.
More Related Videos
10:51Fabrication and Validation of an Organ-on-chip System with Integrated Electrodes to Directly Quantify Transendothelial Electrical Resistance
Published on: September 26, 2017
17.0K
06:12Modeling the Endothelial Glycocalyx Post-Pneumonectomy in a 3D Fluidic Chip - An Approach to Fabricating a Vascular-based Organ-on-Chip System
Published on: September 16, 2025
598
Related Concept Videos
01:15Design Example: Strain Gauge Bridge or Wheatstone Bridge
970
The utilization of strain gauges as transducers for converting mechanical strain into electrical signals is a common practice in various engineering applications. These strain gauges are frequently integrated into Wheatstone bridge circuits to accurately measure parameters such as force or pressure. Within this context, each element within the circuit exhibits a resistance that undergoes subtle variations when subjected to mechanical strain. The primary objective is to convert minuscule...
970
01:20Pressure Gauges
5.1K
Most pressure gauges, like those on scuba tanks, are calibrated to read zero at atmospheric pressure. Readings from such gauges are called the gauge pressure, which is the pressure relative to atmospheric pressure. When the pressure inside the tank exceeds atmospheric pressure, the gauge reports a positive value. Some gauges are designed to measure negative pressure. For example, many physics experiments must take place in a vacuum chamber, a rigid chamber from which some of the air is pumped...
5.1K
03:06Alkali Metals
24.2K
Group 1 elements are soft and shiny metallic solids. They are malleable, ductile, and good conductors of heat and electricity. The melting points of the alkali metals are unusually low for metals and decrease going down the group, while the density increases going down the group with the exception of potassium (Table 1).
Table 1: Properties of the alkali metals
Table 1: Properties of the alkali metals
24.2K
02:32Bonding in Metals
52.1K
Metallic bonds are formed between two metal atoms. A simplified model to describe metallic bonding has been developed by Paul Drüde called the “Electron Sea Model”.
52.1K
02:37Metallic Solids
20.5K
Metallic solids such as crystals of copper, aluminum, and iron are formed by metal atoms. The structure of metallic crystals is often described as a uniform distribution of atomic nuclei within a “sea” of delocalized electrons. The atoms within such a metallic solid are held together by a unique force known as metallic bonding that gives rise to many useful and varied bulk properties.
All metallic solids exhibit high thermal and electrical conductivity, metallic luster, and malleability....
All metallic solids exhibit high thermal and electrical conductivity, metallic luster, and malleability....
20.5K
02:51Metal-Ligand Bonds
24.0K
The hemoglobin in the blood, the chlorophyll in green plants, vitamin B-12, and the catalyst used in the manufacture of polyethylene all contain coordination compounds. Ions of the metals, especially the transition metals, are likely to form complexes.
In these complexes, transition metals form coordinate covalent bonds, a kind of Lewis acid-base interaction in which both of the electrons in the bond are contributed by a donor (Lewis base) to an electron acceptor (Lewis acid). The Lewis acid in...
In these complexes, transition metals form coordinate covalent bonds, a kind of Lewis acid-base interaction in which both of the electrons in the bond are contributed by a donor (Lewis base) to an electron acceptor (Lewis acid). The Lewis acid in...
24.0K