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A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Electronic Sensors".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 October 2024) | Viewed by 16149

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Paula Corte-Leon

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Guest Editor

1. Department of Polymers and Advanced Materials: Physics, Chemistry and Technology, University of the Basque Country, UPV/EHU, 20018 San Sebastian, Spain
2. Department of Applied Physics I, University of the Basque Country EIG, UPV/EHU, 20018 San Sebastian, Spain
Interests: advanced magnetic materials; amorphous; nanocrystalline and granular magnetic materials; magnetic sensors; magnetic microwires; giant magnetoimpedance effect; hysteretic magnetic properties; domain wall dynamics; functional composite materials
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Magnetic sensors are in high demand for a variety of technological applications, such as microelectronics, security electronic surveillance; automobile, aerospace and aircraft industries; energy harvesting and conversion, electrical engineering, informatics, magnetic recording, nondestructive testing in civil construction, medicine and biomedical engineering, etc.

Recent trends in magnetic sensors have required high sensitivity, a quick response, small size and stability. While reducing the production cost and power consumption, the industry has also seen the improvement of features and the finding of novel operating principles based on fundamental studies of novel materials and phenomena.

This Special Issue of Sensors aims to focus on the latest advances and novel ideas devoted to designing magnetic devices and applications, magnetic sensing technology, basic phenomena and fundamental studies of novel nanomaterials suitable for next-generation sensors. Short communications, research papers and review articles are welcome for consideration. Potential Special Issue topics include, but are not limited to, the following areas:

Fabrication techniques;
Magnetic characterization;
Fundamentals and physics involving basic effects, the theory and the modelling of magnetic sensors;
Nano- and micro technologies;
Nanosensors;
Magnetic materials, micro- and nanowires, thin films, ribbons and their advanced processing;
Magnetic sensor arrays and systems;
Novel and smart magnetic materials for sensor applications;
Smart composite materials with magnetic inclusions;
Magnetic sensors, such as Hall effect devices, magnetometers, magnetoimpedance sensors, magnetoresistance sensors, magnetoelastic sensors and flexible electronics;
Magnetic sensor development for applications in biomedicine, electronic surveillance, electrical engineering, informatics, magnetic recording, noncontact and nondestructive monitoring, automobile and aircraft industries, etc.

We look forward to receiving your valuable contributions to this Special Issue.

Dr. Paula Corte-Leon
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 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

magnetic sensors
microsensors
magnetic nanomaterials
characterization of magnetic nanomaterials
magnetic micro- and nanowires
smart materials and composites
sensing materials
magnetic biosensors

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Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 3223 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Coil-Only High-Frequency Lamb Wave Generation in Nickel Sheets

by Yini Song, Yihua Kang, Kai Wang, Yizhou Guo, Jun Tu and Bo Feng

Sensors 2024, 24(22), 7141; https://doi.org/10.3390/s24227141 - 6 Nov 2024

Viewed by 372

Abstract

This study presents a novel, coil-only magnetostrictive ultrasonic detection method that operates effectively without permanent magnets, introducing a simpler alternative to conventional designs. The system configuration is streamlined, consisting of a single meander coil, an excitation source, and a nickel sheet, with both the bias magnetic field and ultrasonic excitation achieved by a composite excitation containing both DC and AC components. This design offers significant advantages, enabling high-frequency Lamb wave generation in nickel sheets for ultrasonic detection while reducing device complexity. Experimental validation demonstrated that an S0-mode Lamb wave at a frequency of 2.625 MHz could be effectively excited in a 0.2 mm nickel sheet using a double-layer meander coil. The experimentally measured wave velocity was 4.9946 m/s, with a deviation of only 0.4985% from the theoretical value, confirming the accuracy of the method. Additionally, this work provides a theoretical basis for future development of flexible MEMS-based magnetostrictive ultrasonic transducers, expanding the potential for miniaturized magnetostrictive patch transducers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances and Applications of Magnetic Sensors)

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15 pages, 5064 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Adaptation of a Differential Scanning Calorimeter for Simultaneous Electromagnetic Measurements

by John W. Wilson, Mohsen A. Jolfaei, Adam D. Fletcher, Carl Slater, Claire Davis and Anthony J. Peyton

Sensors 2024, 24(18), 6077; https://doi.org/10.3390/s24186077 - 20 Sep 2024

Viewed by 660

Abstract

Although much information can be gained about thermally induced microstructural changes in metals through the measurement of their thermophysical properties using a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), due to competing influences on the signal, not all microstructural changes can be fully characterised this way. For example, accurate characterisation of recrystallisation, tempering, and changes in retained delta ferrite in alloyed steels becomes complex due to additional signal changes due to the Curie point, oxidation, and the rate (and therefore the magnitude) of transformation. However, these types of microstructural changes have been shown to invoke strong magnetic and electromagnetic (EM) responses; therefore, simultaneous EM measurements can provide additional complementary data which can help to emphasise or deconvolute these complex signals and develop a more complete understanding of certain metallurgical phenomena. This paper discusses how a DSC machine has been modified to incorporate an EM sensor consisting of two copper coils printed onto either side of a ceramic substrate, with one coil acting as a transmitter and the other as a receiver. The coil is interfaced with a custom-built data acquisition system, which provides current to the transmit coil, records signals from the receive coil, and is controlled by a graphical user interface which allows the user to select multiple excitation frequencies. The equipment has a useable frequency range of approximately 1–100 kHz and outputs phase and magnitude readings at a rate of approximately 50 samples per second. Simultaneous DSC-EM measurements were performed on a nickel sample up to a temperature of 600 °C, with the reversable ferromagnetic to paramagnetic transition in the nickel sample invoking a clear EM response. The results show that the combined DSC-EM apparatus has the potential to provide a powerful tool for the analysis of thermally induced microstructural changes in metals, feeding into research on steel production, development of magnetic and conductive materials, and many more areas. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances and Applications of Magnetic Sensors)

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24 pages, 7537 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Advantages of Bistable Microwires in Digital Signal Processing

by Patrik Jacko, Peter Duranka and Rastislav Varga

Sensors 2024, 24(8), 2423; https://doi.org/10.3390/s24082423 - 10 Apr 2024

Viewed by 906

Abstract

The advantageous applications of magnetic bistable microwires have emerged during long-lasting research. They have a wide range of applications in the scientific sphere or technical practice. They can be used for various applications, including magnetic memories, biomedicine, and sensors. This manuscript is focused on the last-mentioned application of microwires—sensors—discussing various digital signal processing techniques used in practical applications. Thanks to the highly sensitive properties of microwires and their two stable states of magnetization, it is possible to perform precise measurements with less demanding digital processing. The manuscript presents four practical signal-processing methods of microwire response using three different experiments. These experiments are focused on detecting the signal in a simple environment without an external magnetic background, measuring with the external background of a ferromagnetic core, and measuring in harsh conditions with a strong magnetic background. The experiments aim to propose the best method under various conditions, emphasizing the quality and signal processing speed of the microwire signal. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances and Applications of Magnetic Sensors)

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13 pages, 2428 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Research on a Time Difference Processing Method for RTD-Fluxgate Data Based on the Combination of the Mahalanobis Distance and Group Covariance

by Na Pang, Dan Wang, Yuhan Yang and Rui Wang

Sensors 2023, 23(22), 9223; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23229223 - 16 Nov 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 938

Abstract

During the measurement of magnetic fields, Residence Time Difference (RTD)-fluxgate sensors suffer from abnormal time difference jumps due to the random interference of magnetic core noise and environmental noise, which results in gross errors. This situation restricts the improvement of sensor accuracy and stability. In order to solve the above problems efficiently, a time difference gross error processing method based on the combination of the Mahalanobis distance (MD) and group covariance is presented in this paper, and the processing effects of different methods are compared and analyzed. The results of the simulation and experiment indicate that the proposed method is more advantageous in identifying the gross error in time difference. The signal-to-noise ratio for the time difference is improved by about 34 times, while the fluctuation of the Negative Magnetic Saturation Time (NMST) ΔT_NMST is reduced by 95.402%, which significantly reduces the fluctuation of time difference and effectively improves the accuracy and stability of the sensor. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances and Applications of Magnetic Sensors)

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16 pages, 7495 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Use of Different Types of Magnetic Field Sensors in Diagnosing the State of Ferromagnetic Elements Based on Residual Magnetic Field Measurements

by Maciej Roskosz, Paweł Mazurek, Jerzy Kwaśniewski and Jianbo Wu

Sensors 2023, 23(14), 6365; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23146365 - 13 Jul 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1235

Abstract

The early identification of micro-defects in ferromagnetic elements such as steel wire ropes significantly impacts structures’ in-service reliability and safety. This work investigated the possibility of detecting mechanically introduced discontinuities using different magnetic sensors without magnetization of the tested object with a strong external field. This is called the passive magnetic testing method, and it is becoming increasingly popular. This research used differential sensors (measuring differences in field values at the nanotesla level) and absolute sensors (enabling the measurement of the magnetic field vector module or its components at the microtesla level). Each measurement result obtained from the sensors allowed for detecting discontinuities in the line. The problem to be solved is the quantitative identification of changes in the metallic cross-section of a rope. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances and Applications of Magnetic Sensors)

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14 pages, 1820 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Enhancing the Squareness and Bi-Phase Magnetic Switching of Co₂FeSi Microwires for Sensing Application

by Mohamed Salaheldeen, Asma Wederni, Mihail Ipatov, Valentina Zhukova, Ricardo Lopez Anton and Arcady Zhukov

Sensors 2023, 23(11), 5109; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23115109 - 26 May 2023

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 1651

Abstract

In the current study we have obtained Co₂FeSi glass-coated microwires with different geometrical aspect ratios, ρ = d/D_tot (diameter of metallic nucleus, d and total diameter, D_tot). The structure and magnetic properties are investigated at a wide range of temperatures. XRD analysis illustrates a notable change in the microstructure by increasing the aspect ratio of Co₂FeSi-glass-coated microwires. The amorphous structure is detected for the sample with the lowest aspect ratio (ρ = 0.23), whereas a growth of crystalline structure is observed in the other samples (aspect ratio ρ = 0.30 and 0.43). This change in the microstructure properties correlates with dramatic changing in magnetic properties. For the sample with the lowest ρ-ratio, non-perfect square loops are obtained with low normalized remanent magnetization. A notable enhancement in the squareness and coercivity are obtained by increasing ρ-ratio. Changing the internal stresses strongly affects the microstructure, resulting in a complex magnetic reversal process. The thermomagnetic curves show large irreversibility for the Co₂FeSi with low ρ-ratio. Meanwhile, if we increase the ρ-ratio, the sample shows perfect ferromagnetic behavior without irreversibility. The current result illustrates the ability to control the microstructure and magnetic properties of Co₂FeSi glass-coated microwires by changing only their geometric properties without performing any additional heat treatment. The modification of geometric parameters of Co₂FeSi glass-coated microwires allows to obtain microwires that exhibit an unusual magnetization behavior that offers opportunities to understand the phenomena of various types of magnetic domain structures, which is essentially helpful for designing sensing devices based on thermal magnetization switching. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances and Applications of Magnetic Sensors)

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15 pages, 5573 KiB

Open AccessArticle

NMR Magnetometer Based on Dynamic Nuclear-Polarization for Low-Strength Magnetic Field Measurement

by Taoning Guo, Wei He, Cai Wan, Yuxiang Zhang and Zheng Xu

Sensors 2023, 23(10), 4663; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23104663 - 11 May 2023

Viewed by 2453

Abstract

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) magnetometers are considered due to their ability to map magnetic fields with high precision and calibrate other magnetic field measurement devices. However, the low signal-to-noise ratio of low-strength magnetic fields limits the precision when measuring magnetic fields below 40 mT. Therefore, we developed a new NMR magnetometer that combines the dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) technique with pulsed NMR. The dynamic pre-polarization technique enhances the SNR under a low magnetic field. Pulsed NMR was used in conjunction with DNP to improve measurement accuracy and speed. The efficacy of this approach was validated through simulation and analysis of the measurement process. Next, a complete set of equipment was constructed, and we successfully measured magnetic fields of 30 mT and 8 mT with an accuracy of only 0.5 Hz (11 nT) at 30 mT (0.4 ppm) and 1 Hz (22 nT) at 8mT (3 ppm). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances and Applications of Magnetic Sensors)

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12 pages, 8493 KiB

Open AccessArticle

New Perspective on Planar Inductive Sensors: Radio-Frequency Refractometry for Highly Sensitive Quantification of Magnetic Nanoparticles

by José Luis Marqués-Fernández, María Salvador, José Carlos Martínez-García, Pablo Fernández-Miaja, Alfredo García-Arribas and Montserrat Rivas

Sensors 2023, 23(5), 2372; https://doi.org/10.3390/s23052372 - 21 Feb 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2332

Abstract

We demonstrate how resonant planar coils may be used as sensors to detect and quantify magnetic nanoparticles reliably. A coil’s resonant frequency depends on the adjacent materials’ magnetic permeability and electric permittivity. A small number of nanoparticles dispersed on a supporting matrix on top of a planar coil circuit may thus be quantified. Such nanoparticle detection has application detection to create new devices to assess biomedicine, food quality assurance, and environmental control challenges. We developed a mathematical model for the inductive sensor response at radio frequencies to obtain the nanoparticles’ mass from the self-resonance frequency of the coil. In the model, the calibration parameters only depend on the refraction index of the material around the coil, not on the separate magnetic permeability and electric permittivity. The model compares favourably with three-dimensional electromagnetic simulations and independent experimental measurements. The sensor can be scaled and automated in portable devices to measure small quantities of nanoparticles at a low cost. The resonant sensor combined with the mathematical model is a significant improvement over simple inductive sensors, which operate at smaller frequencies and do not have the required sensitivity, and oscillator-based inductive sensors, which focus on just magnetic permeability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances and Applications of Magnetic Sensors)

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18 pages, 9255 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Saliency-Based Rotor Spatial Position Displacement Self-Sensing for Self-Bearing Machines

by Ye gu Kang, Daniel Fernandez and David Diaz Reigosa

Sensors 2022, 22(24), 9663; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22249663 - 9 Dec 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1701

Abstract

Self-bearing machines do not contain physical bearings but magnetic bearings. Both rotor rotary and spatial positions displacement are required in these types of machines to control the rotor position while it is levitating. Self-bearing machines often use external sensors for x (horizontal) and y (vertical) spatial position measurement, which will result in additional cost, volume, complexity, and number of parts susceptible to failure. To overcome these issues, this paper proposes a

x y

-position estimation self-sensing technique based on both main- and cross-inductance variation. The proposed method estimates x and y position based on inductive saliency between two sets of three-phase coils. The proposed idea is applied on a combined winding self-bearing machine which does not require additional suspension force winding. No additional search coil placement for

x y

-position estimation is required. Therefore, the proposed algorithm can result in a compact size self-bearing machine that does not require external sensors for

x y

-position measurement and suspension force winding. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances and Applications of Magnetic Sensors)

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22 pages, 5084 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Rotating-Coil Measurement System for Small-Bore-Diameter Magnet Characterization

by Anna Lauria, Pasquale Arpaia, Marco Buzio, Antonio Gilardi, Marco Parvis, Mariano Pentella, Lucia Sabbatini, Enzo Simoni and Alessandro Vannozzi

Sensors 2022, 22(21), 8359; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22218359 - 31 Oct 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2560

Abstract

Rotating-coil measurement systems are widely used to measure the multipolar fields of particle accelerator magnets. This paper presents a rotating-coil measurement system that aims at providing a complete data set for the characterization of quadrupole magnets with small bore diameters (26 mm). The PCB magnetometer design represents a challenging goal for this type of transducer. It is characterized by an aspect ratio 30% higher than the state of the art, imposed by the reduced dimension of the external radius of the rotating shaft and the necessity of covering the entire magnet effective length (500 mm or higher). The system design required a novel design for the mechanical asset, also considering the innovation represented by the commercial carbon fiber tube, housing the PCB magnetometer. Moreover, the measurement system is based primarily on standard and commercially available components, with simplified control and post-processing software applications. The system and its components are cross-calibrated using a stretched-wire system and another rotating-coil system. The measurement precision is established in a measurement campaign performed on a quadrupole magnet characterized by an inner bore diameter of 45 mm. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances and Applications of Magnetic Sensors)

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