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Compression sensors constructed from ferromagnetic particles embedded within soft materials

  • Polymers for Additive Manufacturing Research Letter
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Abstract

Ferromagnetic fillers were incorporated within polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) at concentrations of 0.1 wt% and 1 wt%. Deformation was detected via magnetic field response during compression tests. Testing of five of the six ferromagnetic fillers in PDMS revealed that 1 wt% was the minimum filler concentration required to detect compression via the magnetic field response. Settling of neodymium particles was evident; thus, Stokes’ Law was used to investigate setting velocity of the particles. Overall, ferromagnetic fillers in PDMS cylinders provided a quantitative sensor of force and material displacement suggesting utility as sensors embedded in larger soft material constructs.

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Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge support from Honeywell Federal Manufacturing & Technologies as a part of Department of Energy Contract DE-NA0002839.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Kansas, 1530 West 15th Street, Lawrence, KS, 66045, USA

    Justin K. Ruffalo, Jonathan D. Miller & Cory J. Berkland

  2. Bioengineering Graduate Program, University of Kansas, 1530 West 15th Street, Lawrence, KS, 66045, USA

    Justin K. Ruffalo & Cory J. Berkland

  3. Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Kansas, 2095 Constant Avenue, Lawrence, KS, 66047, USA

    Jonathan D. Miller & Cory J. Berkland

  4. University of Kansas, 2030 Becker Drive, Lawrence, KS, 66047, USA

    Cory J. Berkland

Authors
  1. Justin K. Ruffalo
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  2. Jonathan D. Miller
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  3. Cory J. Berkland
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Contributions

J.K.R. performed the synthesis, characterization, and analysis for the novel force sensors and wrote the manuscript. J.D.M. helped with characterization and data analysis. C.J.B. is the principal investigator.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Cory J. Berkland.

Additional information

This work was supported by Honeywell Federal Manufacturing & Technologies, LLC, which operates the Kansas City National Security Campus for the United States Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration under Contract Number DE-NA0002839.

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Ruffalo, J.K., Miller, J.D. & Berkland, C.J. Compression sensors constructed from ferromagnetic particles embedded within soft materials. MRS Communications 11, 94–99 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1557/s43579-021-00010-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/s43579-021-00010-6

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