According to reporters in Sydney, Australian scientists have recently developed a new version of an electronic sensor that is extremely small in size and operates with high sensitivity.
This invention is considered promising and has significant potential for large-scale applications in various fields. The research results were published in the scientific journal Nature Communications on October 3rd.
Piezoresistors are typically used to detect vibrations in electronic devices and automobiles, such as the step counting feature on smartphones or airbag deployment systems in cars. They are also utilized in medical devices like implanted pressure sensors in the body, as well as in the aerospace and aviation industries.
This piezoresistor is approximately 500,000 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair.
In a nationwide study, researchers from Curtin University, the University of Technology Sydney, James Cook University, and the University of Newcastle developed a type of piezoresistor that is about 500,000 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair.
Dr. Nadim Darwish from Curtin University stated that this electronic component is more sensitive and smaller, enabling the conversion of force or pressure into electrical signals, with potential applications in many areas of daily life.
According to Dr. Darwish, “Due to its size and chemical nature, this new piezoresistor will open up entirely new opportunities for applications in chemical and biological sensors, human-machine interaction mechanisms, and health monitoring devices.”
Dr. Darwish further mentioned that because these new sensors are molecule-based, they can be used to detect various chemicals or biological molecules such as proteins and enzymes—factors that could “change the game” in the early detection of diseases.
Dr. Thomas Fallon at the University of Newcastle, one of the study’s authors, described the new pressure sensor as being made from a single Bullvalene molecule that, when subjected to mechanical strain, reacts to form a new molecule with a different shape, thereby altering the current flow through changes in resistance.
Another research team member, Professor Jeffrey Reimers at the University of Technology Sydney, emphasized the significance of the study in detecting (through electronic methods) the shape changes of a reactive molecule approximately every millisecond. He stressed: “Detecting the shape of molecules through their conductivity is a completely novel concept in chemical sensor research.”
Associate Professor Daniel Kosov at James Cook University believes that understanding the relationship between molecular shape and their conductivity will allow researchers to determine the fundamental characteristics of the bonding between molecules and the accompanying metal wiring systems. This is crucial for the development of molecular-sized electronic devices in the future.
