Although we might not recognize it, electronic sensors have developed into essential components in our everyday life. They provide our smartphones with necessary information, guarantee safe travels in our cars and ensure that our homes are adequately air conditioned. With increasing automatization in the industrial and private sector (e.g. internet of things, smart home, autonomous driving, etc.), the importance of those tiny helpers for our prosperity, well-being and safety will only increase. Therefore, it will be essential to develop more efficient, powerful and complex sensors, which are able to process information in a reliable fashion.
Researchers from the Linköping University (Sweden), were now able to manufacture a type of thermoelectric aerogel, which is able to simultaneously sense pressure and temperature. Moreover, the pressure and temperature signals are decoupled, allowing for a reliable synchronous measuring of both parameters.
The dual-parameter PNG aerogels sensors were synthesized from a mixture of poly3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene:polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS), nano-fibrillated cellulose (NFC) and glycidoxypropyl trimethoxysilane (GOPS). This precursor selection led to an elastic, yet robust thermoelectric PNG aerogel, being able to sense pressure changes (NFC & GOPS) and temperature variations (PEDOT:PSS). Post-treatment in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) vapor not only increased the pressure sensitivity of the aerogel, but also resulted in a decoupling of the temperature and pressure signal by changing the internal charge carrier transport through the material.
Testing of the aerogel composite in an experimental setup, schematically depicted below, showed that pressure and temperature gradient could be obtained from two independent parameters of the current-voltage curve. The pressure signal is indicated by the slope, whereas the y-intercept denotes the temperature gradient across the aerogel (see also Figure below).
These revolutionary findings could pave the way for further research on multi parameter sensing aerogels, facilitating innovations which rely on powerful sensors. The Swedish research team already anticipates the utilization of their novel dual scale PNG aerogel in e-skin applications.
More details: Han et al.; Thermoelectric Polymer Aerogels for Pressure–Temperature Sensing Applications, Advanced Functional Materials, Volume 27, Issue 44 November 24, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.201703549,
Annually, the Swiss Federal Office of Energy awards the Watt d’Or Award to people, companies and organizations that “develop the energy technologies for the future, bring innovative products onto the market and set new standards for practical solutions that unite energy and environment awareness with comfort requirements, aesthetics and economic interests”.
This year, a prototypical aerogel-insulated apartment building, devised by the Zurich-based architectural office Dietrich Schwarz has been awarded the Watt d’Or in the category Buildings and Space.
With new challenges in terms of energy efficiency and space requirements arising, architects are faced with a fundamental conflict — providing highly effective insulation at constant or even slimmer wall thicknesses. The only escape from this dilemma are advancements in insulation materials, yielding scalable structures of extremely low thermal conductivity.
Aerogels are one type of material promising exactly those required characteristics and therefore are generally considered to possess great merit for the future building insulation market.
Due to these intriguing insulating properties of aerogels, the architects of Dietrich Schwarz (Switzerland) have selected aerogel-equipped wood elements to insulate the exterior facade of their latest award-winning project in Zurich (see image above). Thereby, the building floor space was maximized without jeopardizing energetic requirements placed on modern architecture. Additionally, vacuum-insulated windows, phase-change materials in the facades reducing the required cooling and heating demands, rooftop PV panels and a thermal heat pump complete the holistic approach to reduce the energy intensity of modern housing.
Another eye-catching, futuristic feature of the apartment block are its convex oriels, providing sound insulation from the noisy street. Through these elements regular room ventilation via opened windows can be achieved without experiencing excessive noise pollution.
In light of the abundance of novel architectural elements, providing a high level of comfort at vastly reduced energetic footprint, found in this building concept, the selection of the jury of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy does not come as a surprise.
If building concepts such as the one by Dietrich Schwarz will prove their worth, it will only be a matter of time until aerogel-based insulation materials will become a market standard.
Read more at:
https://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/zuerich/stadt/zuercher-architekten-ueberzeugen-mit-ultraduenner-daemmung/story/21704599
https://www.baublatt.ch/verschiedenes/watt-dor-2018-ein-intelligentes-licht-fuer-tier-und-mensch