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GOLD NANOWIRES REVOLUTIONISE

WEARABLE SENSOR TECHNOLOGY

A research team at the Pohang University This led to the creation of an intelligent wearable
of Science and Technology has developed system that could capture and analyse signals
an integrated wearable sensor device that simultaneously using just one material (gold).
measures and processes two bio-signals
Results showed that these sensors could detect
simultaneously.
subtle muscle tremors, identify heartbeat patterns,
The main challenges associated with this type recognise speech through vocal chord vibrations
of technology are basically interface damage, and measure changes in body temperature.
complex fabrication and reduced stability due These sensors were, crucially, able to maintain
to the use of disparate materials for each signal high stability and adaptability on curved skin
measurement, along with the need for advanced surfaces owing to their flexibility and stretchability.
signal processing systems and algorithms. Silver
The research is seen as opening up possibilities
nanowires have been deployed due to their
for the development a future bioelectronics
extreme thinness, lightness and connectivity, but
platform that is able to analyse a diverse range of
to improve functionality the team experimented
biosignals.
by fusing these with gold. Bulk gold nanowires
were created by coating the exterior of the silver Potential application areas include healthcare
nanowires, which suppressed the so-called and integrated electronic systems.
galvanic phenomenon. Hollow gold nanowires
[ Reference: West, P., Electronic Specifier, 9th.
were subsequently created by selectively etching
December 2023 ]
the silver from the gold-coated nanowires. This
produced a nanowire that had high sensitivity to
minute changes in strain as opposed to sensitivity
to temperature variations.
The gold nanowires were then patterned onto Visit our website!
a substrate of styrene-ethylene-butylene-
styrene (SEBS) polymer such that they became Why not head down to our website
seamlessly integrated without separations. The and read more news in our blog?
leveraging of two distinct types of gold nanowires
Updated daily with hand-picked
then enabled development of a sensor that was
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capable of measuring both temperature and
strain. Further innovation was added by designing
a logic circuit for signal analysis, using a negative
gauge factor that resulted from the addition of institutionofelectronics.ac.uk
micrometre-scale corrugations to the pattern.

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