Yichen Cai creates thin, flexible devices that could have myriad uses, from wearable blood-pressure monitors to touch sensors for robots
I am a materials scientist at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia, and my work involves creating thin, flexible, conductive films that mimic human skin. This ‘e-skin’ has many potential applications, especially in health care, where it can be used to build wearable sensors to measure things such as blood pressure, movement and body temperature. It could also allow robots to sense touch, like humans do, or deliver drugs into the body.
KAUST is the first mixed-gender university in Saudi Arabia. Here, female employees have work and education opportunities equal to those of male employees. In my laboratory, I make films as thin as one nanometre. In this photo, I’m standing in front of our chemical-vapour deposition furnace, where my team and I build the films. We do this on a very flat substrate: the disc I’m holding here. In the reflection on it you can see a vial filled with a fluid. This is the catalyst that we use to make the films out of small monomers, which bond in the furnace to form polymers. It took us three years to perfect our synthesis process.
In the furnace, I can vary the films’ pore structure and thickness, which affects their electrical and mechanical properties. This is directly related to the sensitivity and elasticity of the e-skin. We are still in the early stages of our research. One challenge is to scale up what we do in the lab to something commercially viable. We also need to work on the stability of our e-skin.
Thin, flexible sensors could be used in industrial settings as well: to detect toxic leaks rapidly and reliably, for example. My colleagues and I are also working on developing a film that can remove salt from seawater and brine, as an alternative to existing desalination methods. The opportunities are endless.
Indonesia Berita Terbaru, Indonesia Berita utama
Similar News:Anda juga dapat membaca berita serupa dengan ini yang kami kumpulkan dari sumber berita lain.
Your Slow and Sad Descent Into Bird-WatchingYou suddenly find that you’re able to distinguish the pa-chip-chip-chip of an American goldfinch. Before you know it, you’re mimicking bird calls.
Baca lebih lajut »
The 18 best mineral sunscreens of 2023, per expertsNurture and protect your skin with expert-recommended formulations that are void of chemicals.
Baca lebih lajut »
Nicole Kidman Uses This Brightening Concealer for Flawless, Radiant Skin at 55Nicole Kidman, 55, Used This Concealer for Flawless Skin at the 2023 Met Gala
Baca lebih lajut »
LeBron James and Steph Curry: From admirer to friend to foeThe buzz began to build on the bus ride to Ford Field.
Baca lebih lajut »