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Advanced Polymer-Based Sensors Materials

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 June 2023) | Viewed by 6840

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Chiba Science Institute, Choshi, Shiomicho, Japan
Interests: dielectric elastomer; high-temperature membranes; computer simulation; nano/micromachines; hydrogen; fuel cells; conductive materials; renewable energy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Various new sensor materials, including new metal materials, high-performance polymer materials, fine ceramics and composite materials, are being researched and developed. In particular, sensors using polymers are combined with or replaced with the above materials, and are highly expected to become one of the advanced technologies that support the economy and various industries in the 21st century, in the near future.

As the material of the electrode, carbon-based materials or the materials included with metals have been attracting attention. Moreover, significant progress has also been made in the electrical circuits that back up these polymer sensors. Using those sensors, many new applications are also being developed. For example, intelligent sensors include sensors that are compatible with both pressure sensors and stretch sensors, and sensors that can be used simultaneously as actuators and sensors. One interesting application is a wearable sensor that combines IoT. It is expected to be used in the world of medical care, sports and hobbies, to enjoy the virtual world.

This Special Issue stimulates researchers in the field of materials, researchers who make them compound and/or intelligent devices, and research engineers who study electrical circuits related to them, and further accelerates the development of their applications. We are looking for such high-quality papers, but these are not limited to the following fields.

  1. Dielectric elastomer sensors (including actuators that also serve as sensors) and their materials.
  2. Conductive polymer sensors and their materials.
  3. Moisture, pressure, temperature or chemical substance detection sensors, biosensors and their materials.
  4. Stretch sensors and their materials.
  5. Vibration or collision sensors and their materials.
  6. Nano sensors and their materials.
  7. Various electrode materials applicable to polymer sensors (including conductive polymers).
  8. Composites of the above various materials.
  9. Electrical circuits for sensors.
  10. Application research and development

Dr. Seiki Chiba
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • dielectric elastomer
  • high-temperature membranes
  • computer simulation
  • nano/micromachines
  • hydrogen
  • fuel cells
  • conductive materials
  • renewable energy

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 10939 KiB  
Article
Automatic Detection of the Orientation of Strain Gauges Bonded on Composite Materials with Polymer Matrix, in Order to Reduce the Measurement Errors
by Alexandru Serban and Paul Doru Barsanescu
Polymers 2023, 15(4), 876; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15040876 - 10 Feb 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1663
Abstract
Composite materials with a polymer matrix are used on a large scale to make light structures that involve high responsibility. The failure mechanisms of composite materials are very complex and for this reason, advanced techniques for damage detection and the assessment of structural [...] Read more.
Composite materials with a polymer matrix are used on a large scale to make light structures that involve high responsibility. The failure mechanisms of composite materials are very complex and for this reason, advanced techniques for damage detection and the assessment of structural integrity are required. The continuous structural health monitoring (SHM) uses nondestructive testing (NDT) techniques, sensors integrated into the structures, computers and dedicated software. This article presents a new automatic and precise method for detecting the orientation of strain gauges glued onto composite materials with a polymer matrix. The automatic identification of both the directions of the reinforcing fibers and that of the orientation of the strain gauge, respectively, allows for the calculation of the angle between these two directions. By knowing the difference between the nominal value of this angle and the value actually obtained after gluing the strain gauge, corrections obtained by calculation on the experimental values can be applied, using equations found in specialized literature. In this way, a drastic reduction of measurement errors introduced by the misalignment of strain gauges glued on composite materials can be achieved, resulting in a significant increase of measurement accuracy, which contributes to increasing the security of the monitored structures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Polymer-Based Sensors Materials)
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17 pages, 5489 KiB  
Article
Solvent Evaporation Rate as a Tool for Tuning the Performance of a Solid Polymer Electrolyte Gas Sensor
by Petr Sedlak, Pavel Kaspar, Dinara Sobola, Adam Gajdos, Jiri Majzner, Vlasta Sedlakova and Petr Kubersky
Polymers 2022, 14(21), 4758; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14214758 - 6 Nov 2022
Viewed by 2156
Abstract
Solid polymer electrolytes show their potential to partially replace conventional electrolytes in electrochemical devices. The solvent evaporation rate represents one of many options for modifying the electrode–electrolyte interface by affecting the structural and electrical properties of polymer electrolytes used in batteries. This paper [...] Read more.
Solid polymer electrolytes show their potential to partially replace conventional electrolytes in electrochemical devices. The solvent evaporation rate represents one of many options for modifying the electrode–electrolyte interface by affecting the structural and electrical properties of polymer electrolytes used in batteries. This paper evaluates the effect of solvent evaporation during the preparation of solid polymer electrolytes on the overall performance of an amperometric gas sensor. A mixture of the polymer host, solvent and an ionic liquid was thermally treated under different evaporation rates to prepare four polymer electrolytes. A carbon nanotube-based working electrode deposited by spray-coating the polymer electrolyte layer allowed the preparation of the electrode–electrolyte interface with different morphologies, which were then investigated using scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. All prepared sensors were exposed to nitrogen dioxide concentration of 0–10 ppm, and the current responses and their fluctuations were analyzed. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was used to describe the sensor with an equivalent electric circuit. Experimental results showed that a higher solvent evaporation rate leads to lower sensor sensitivity, affects associated parameters (such as the detection/quantification limit) and increases the limit of the maximum current flowing through the sensor, while the other properties (hysteresis, repeatability, response time, recovery time) change insignificantly. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Polymer-Based Sensors Materials)
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21 pages, 9583 KiB  
Article
Investigation of Hemp and Flax Fiber-Reinforced EcoPoxy Matrix Biocomposites: Morphological, Mechanical, and Hydrophilic Properties
by Ayyappa Atmakuri, Arvydas Palevicius, Giedrius Janusas and Justas Eimontas
Polymers 2022, 14(21), 4530; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14214530 - 26 Oct 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2568
Abstract
Modern day industries are highly focused on the development of bio-inspired hybrid natural fiber composites for lightweight biosensor chips, automobile, and microfluidic applications. In the present research, the mechanical properties and morphological characteristics of alkaline (NaOH)-treated hemp, flax, noil hemp, and noil flax [...] Read more.
Modern day industries are highly focused on the development of bio-inspired hybrid natural fiber composites for lightweight biosensor chips, automobile, and microfluidic applications. In the present research, the mechanical properties and morphological characteristics of alkaline (NaOH)-treated hemp, flax, noil hemp, and noil flax fiber-reinforced ecopoxy biocomposites were investigated. The samples were fabricated by employing the hand layup technique followed by the compression molding process. A total of two sets of composites with various weight fractions were fabricated. The samples were tested for mechanical properties such as flexural strength, interlaminar shear strength, moisture absorption, and contact angle measurement. The treated fibers were analyzed by using an optical microscope and Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR). The morphological characteristics, such as porosity and fracture mechanisms, were investigated by using scanning electron microscopy and SEM−EDX spectroscopy. The results revealed that the flexural properties of hybrid composites vary from 22.62 MPa to 30.04 MPa for hemp and flax fibers and 21.86 MPa to 24.70 MPa for noil fibers, whereas in individual fiber composites, the strength varies from 17.11 MPa to 21.54 MPa for hemp and flax fibers and 15.83 MPa to 18.79 MPa for noil fibers. A similar trend was observed in interlaminar shear properties in both cases. From moisture analysis, the rate of absorption is increased with time up to 144 h and remains constant in both cases. The moisture gain was observed more in individual composites than hybrid composites in both cases. Hence, the impact of hybridization was observed clearly in both cases. Also, hybrid composites showed improved properties compared to individual fiber composites. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Polymer-Based Sensors Materials)
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