Bio-inspired Flexible Lateral Line Sensor Based on P(VDF-TrFE)/BTO Nanofiber Mat for Hydrodynamic Perception

Abstract

Fish and some amphibians can perform a variety of behaviors in confined and harsh environments by employing an extraordinary mechanosensory organ, the lateral line system (LLS). Inspired by the form-function of the LLS, a hydrodynamic artificial velocity sensor (HAVS) was presented in this paper. The sensors featured a polarized poly (vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) [P(VDF-TrFE)]/barium titanate (BTO) electrospinning nanofiber mat as the sensing layer, a polyimide (PI) film with arrays of circular cavities as the substrate, and a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) pillar as the cilium. The P(VDF-TrFE)/BTO electrospinning nanofiber mat demonstrated enhanced crystallinity and piezoelectricity compared with the pure P(VDF-TrFE) nanofiber mat. A dipole source was employed to characterize the sensing performance of the fabricated HAVS. The HAVS achieved a velocity detection limit of 0.23 mm/s, superior to the conventional nanofiber mat-based flow sensor. In addition, directivity was feasible for the HAVS, which was in accordance with the simulation results. The proposed bio-inspired flexible lateral line sensor with hydrodynamic perception ability shows promising applications in underwater robotics for real-time flow analysis.

Microscopic artificial cilia – a review

“…128 The cilia pulling method is an effective method to produce cilia over a large surface area, but careful tuning of the fluid properties is critical to achieve the final shape of the artificial cilia fabricated. Some of the artificial motile cilia actuated by principles like electro-osmosis and thermal actuation have been demonstrated to work for relatively large scale cilia and were therefore fabricated using a part-assembly method, 129,130 see Fig. 6(f).…”

“…12(a). 130,167 More recently, an artificial cilium has been presented working as a hydrophone using leadzirconate titanate (PZT) as a piezoelectric sensor. 174 Apart from the sensor with cilia tips connected with the PVDF fibers in a cupula, 173 the cilia lengths of other piezoelectric based sensors are again larger than 1 mm, but since the cupula has multiple cilia covered in a hydrogel drop, the effective size of this sensor also falls in the millimeters scale.…”

Research on the application of artificial lateral line system for different sensing effects of fish

“…Hu et al [24] adopted piezoelectric material ([P (VDF-TrFE)]/BTO) through reactive ion etching technology to construct a side line sensor array in which the PMMA pillar mimics the superficial cilia of fish. The author named the sensor HAVS; the device is shown in Figure 4 (d).…”

Enhanced Piezoelectric Performance of Composite Fibers Based on Lead-Free BCTZ Ceramics and P(VDF-TrFE) Piezopolymer for Self-Powered Wearable Sensors

“…Furthermore, post-treatments, including post-crystallization and extra-poling, were undertaken to maximize the piezoresponse of the PCFs. Post-crystallization was performed to develop the β-phase of P­(VDF-TrFE), and an extra-poling process was conducted to enhance the piezoelectricity of the PCFs. , To verify the influence of post-treatments on the output performance of the PCFs, the PCF’s output performances in response to post-crystallization and extra-poling were evaluated. The generated open-circuit voltage ( V OC ) and short-circuit current ( I SC ) of the PCF membrane under constant bending strains were significantly increased up to 6.6 times (from 5.5 to 36.5 V) and 15.7 times (from 0.07 to 1.09 μA), respectively.…”