Mechanical and electrical characterization of carbon Black-doped closed-cell Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) foam

Carbon Black-doped Polydimethylsiloxane (CB-PDMS) can be used as a pressure sensing material due to its piezoresistive properties. The sensitivity of such a sensor is in part dependent on the stiffness of the material. A closed-cell CB-PDMS foam is being explored as a possible flexible, lightweight, and waterproof underwater sensing material for use in unmanned underwater vehicles and other hydrodynamic sensing purposes. The percolation threshold for conduction through the CB-PDMS foam is theorized, and a number of different concentrations based on the theorized threshold are explored in order to determine the optimum weight percent of Carbon Black dopant to achieve a high sensitivity, low stiffness sensing CB-PDMS foam. Sinusoidal mechanical pressure patterns were applied and voltage response measured. An optimum dopant weight percent out of the concentrations tested was found at 5.5 wt% CB-PDMS.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Materials Science and Engineering.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2015

Author dc:creator

• Herring, Jessica A

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Jeffrey Lang.

• Materials Science and Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/98652

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/98652