A team of researchers led by Professor Seung-Kyun Kang from Seoul National University has developed a groundbreaking strain sensor with record-breaking sensitivity, potentially transforming medical diagnostics and other industries.
Collaborating with experts from Dankook University, Ajou University, and Purdue University, the team introduced a flexible, stretchable sensor capable of detecting the tiniest strains. Their findings were published in Science Advances on December 20.
Strain sensors measure biomechanical signals by detecting changes in the electrical resistance of conductive materials.
These sensors are vital in fields like medicine and engineering, where detecting small changes in mechanical forces can prevent disasters or save lives.
However, traditional sensors struggle with low sensitivity and fail to detect extremely small strains, limiting their effectiveness in critical applications.
For example, early signs of cerebrovascular diseases, such as brain hemorrhage or ischemia, involve minuscule strains smaller than 10⁻³, often too subtle for existing sensors to measure.
Similarly, structural materials often show tiny surface strains between 10⁻⁵ and 10⁻³ before catastrophic failures occur. Detecting these early warning signs could save lives and prevent severe damage.
To overcome these challenges, Prof. Kang’s team developed a sensor using a unique combination of meta-structures and nanoscale microcracks.
The meta-structure features a negative Poisson’s ratio, which amplifies the sensor’s sensitivity by up to 100 times compared to earlier technologies. This sensor can detect strains as small as 10⁻⁵—equivalent to a change in length at the atomic scale on a human hair.
The researchers achieved this remarkable sensitivity by engineering the controlled widening of nanoscale microcracks, which amplify changes in electrical resistance.
This design enables the sensor to detect even infinitesimal deformations, such as the strains caused by microbial growth. For example, the team demonstrated the sensor’s ability to detect strain levels as small as 10⁻⁵ from mold hyphae growth on bread.
The sensor’s potential applications in medicine are particularly promising. Researchers successfully attached the sensor to the surface of cerebral blood vessels, allowing real-time monitoring of blood flow and pressure.
This capability makes it a powerful tool for the early diagnosis of cerebrovascular diseases like brain hemorrhages and ischemia. Additionally, its precision could improve cardiovascular disorder management by providing continuous and accurate medical data.
One of the sensor’s standout features is its biodegradability. Made from materials that naturally decompose in the body, the sensor eliminates the need for follow-up surgeries to remove it, ensuring greater safety and convenience for patients.
The implications of this technology go beyond medicine. The sensor’s exceptional sensitivity makes it suitable for robotics, where detecting small mechanical movements is crucial.
It could also enhance disaster response by identifying structural vulnerabilities before catastrophic failures and enable environmental monitoring with unprecedented precision.
“This is more than just a performance upgrade,” the research team stated. “Our work addresses fundamental limitations of previous technologies and opens up entirely new possibilities across bioengineering, medical devices, robotics, and more.”
With its ability to measure the tiniest strains and its versatility, this sensor marks a significant leap forward in precision engineering, offering new ways to protect lives and improve safety across diverse fields.
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The research findings can be found in Science Advances.
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