Bio-Inspired Flow Sensors Fabricated From Carbon Nanomaterials

Abstract

Carbon-based flow sensors can be made by embedding carbon nanotubes (CNT) into a polymeric substrate. Specifically, when a conductive aqueous solution flows over the surface of the exposed CNT, a flow-dependent voltage is generated. The carbonaceous flow sensors fabricated in our work were all tested in salt water (5% NaCl). In order to measure the surface coverage of the CNT coated sensors, the electrical resistance across the surface of each sample was measured. Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) measurements were also carried out in order to understand the electrical relationship between the sensor and the salt water. In order to study the surface topology and morphology of the flow sensors, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used. Voltage measurements of sensors with different levels of resistance were tested in varying fluid velocities. The least resistive sensor showed small, but detectable changes in voltages, while higher resistance sensors showed less response. On the other hand, the average current did not change with varying flow conditions for any of the sensors.