Additively Manufactured Flexible Liquid Metal-Coated Self-Powered Magnetoelectric Sensors with High Design Freedom
Hongzhi Wu1,2, Ruiying Luo1, Zhuofan Li3
1State Key Laboratory of Material Processing and Die and Mold Technology, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074, P. R. China.
Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
|December 25, 2023
Summary
This study introduces flexible liquid metal magnetoelectric sensors fabricated using selective laser sintering and 3D printing. These novel sensors offer enhanced structural flexibility and magnetoelectric integration for improved performance.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Sensor Technology
Background:
- Additive manufacturing offers design control for magnetoelectric sensors but faces challenges in component matching and sensor flexibility.
- Existing rigid coils in magnetoelectric sensors limit their adaptability and integration.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a flexible magnetoelectric sensor using a composite fabrication process.
- To enhance magnetoelectric integration and design freedom in sensor manufacturing.
Main Methods:
- A composite process combining selective laser sintering (SLS) and 3D transfer printing was employed.
- Liquid metal was used to form a conductive network on an SLS-printed magnetic lattice structure.
- A reverse model segmentation and summation method was established to calculate magnetic flux.
Main Results:
- The fabricated flexible liquid metal-coated magnetoelectric sensors demonstrated a maximum voltage of 45.6 µV.
- The sensors achieved a sensitivity of 10.9 kPa⁻¹ and a minimum detection pressure of 0.1 kPa.
- Optimization of sensor parameters like volume fraction, unit size, and height improved voltage output.
Conclusions:
- The proposed composite fabrication method significantly advances the development of flexible liquid metal-based magnetoelectric sensors.
- The new sensors exhibit improved structural flexibility, magnetoelectric integration, and greater design freedom.
- This work paves the way for novel applications of highly adaptable magnetoelectric sensing technologies.
