In this paper, the design, the fabrication and the characterization of ceramic screen-printed force sensors are described. They are based on the use of cantilevers with integrated piezoresistors. The choice of the materials constituting the cantilever and the strain gauge, so as the dimensions of the cantilever have been optimized in order to measure forces in mN range. The sensors have been fabricated using the screenprinting technique associated with the sacrificial layer technique to release the free-standing part of the cantilevers. Afterwards, they have been characterized: measurement of sensitivity, reproducibility and materials properties (Young's modulus and strain gauge factor). The performances of these sensors are compared to the existing silicon, polymer and ceramic sensors.

Usually, resonating cantilevers come from silicon technology and are activated with pure bending mode. In this work, we suggest to combine high‐sensitive cantilever structure with both self‐actuated and self‐read‐out piezoelectric thick‐film for high electrical–mechanical coupling. This cantilever is realized through screen‐printing deposition associated with a sacrificial layer. It is composed of a PZT layer between two gold electrodes. Optimum performances of piezoelectric ceramics generally imply the use of mechanical pressure and very high sintering temperature that are not compatible with the screen‐printing process. Addition of eutectic composition Li2CO3‐Bi2O3‐CuO or borosilicate glass‐frit to PZT powder and application of isostatic pressure improve the sintering at a given temperature. Firing temperature of 850°C, 900°C, and 950°C is tested. Microstructural, electrical and mechanical characterizations are achieved. In addition to the bending mode, the in‐plane 31‐longitudinal vibration mode and the out‐of‐plane 33‐thickness resonance mode are revealed. Correlations between experimental results and modeling of the different vibration modes are established. The piezoelectric parameters of PZT cantilevers approach those of ceramics. Quality factors between 300 and 400 associated with the unusual 31‐longitudinal mode make screen‐printed PZT cantilevers good candidates for detection in liquid and gaseous media.

During a fire in an industrial facility, the main consequences concerning aerosol are the production of large amount of soot and potential resuspension of hazardous material in particulate form. Soot deposition quantification on walls in a room during a fire is essential for the prediction of aerosol quantities that can be transported in the ventilation ducts and clog high efficiency particulate air filters. For this purpose, accumulative resistive sensors, initially developed for monitoring Diesel Particulate Filters (DPF), have been used to quantify soot particles that are deposited on its sensing side. After validation of the fabrication process via electrical measurements, the sensor response has been studied under different polarization voltages and an experimental protocol for soot quantification has been qualified. Thanks to those protocols, it was first demonstrated that the polarization voltage has no influence on the deposition velocity. Then, the resistive sensor was calibrated at polarization voltages of 10 V and 0.1 V. For 0.1 V, results are less repeatable and do not allow to propose a correlation between conductance and deposited mass. Better repeatability was found for a polarization voltage of 10 V allowing to propose and develop a calibration procedure aiming to correlate sensor conductance and deposited mass of aerosol. Indeed, it was proved that the sensor has a blind zone, in terms of conductance, for mass deposit ranging from 0 to 230 mg/m 2 . A linear calibration curve with a good sensitivity of 2.49 µS.mg -1 .m 2 was obtained for deposited mass between 230 and 1630 mg/m 2 .