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Electrical Properties of Graphite Nanoparticles in Silicone

Flexible Oscillators and Electromechanical Sensing

  • Book
  • © 2014

Overview

Authors:
  1. Samuel David Littlejohn

    1. Department of Physics, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom

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  • Nominated as an outstanding Ph.D. thesis by the University of Bath, UK
  • Reports on the discovery of a broad negative differential resistance region in a flexible composite
  • Demonstrates strain-tuned flexible oscillators
  • Describes a pressure-sensitive material suitable for state-of-the-art bio-electronic applications
  • Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Part of the book series: Springer Theses (Springer Theses)

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Table of contents (7 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xv
    Download chapter PDF

  2. Introduction

    • Samuel David Littlejohn
    Pages 1-3

  3. Background Theory

    • Samuel David Littlejohn
    Pages 5-38

  4. Fabrication and Measurement

    • Samuel David Littlejohn
    Pages 39-62

  5. Tunneling Negative Differential Resistance in a GSC

    • Samuel David Littlejohn
    Pages 63-83

  6. Electromechanical Properties and Sensing

    • Samuel David Littlejohn
    Pages 85-118

  7. Electronic Amplification in the NDR Region

    • Samuel David Littlejohn
    Pages 119-151

  8. Conclusions and Future Work

    • Samuel David Littlejohn
    Pages 153-157

  9. Back Matter

    Pages 159-166
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Keywords

About this book

This thesis examines a novel class of flexible electronic material with great potential for use in the construction of stretchable amplifiers and memory elements.  Most remarkably the composite material produces spontaneous oscillations that increase in frequency when pressure is applied to it. In this way, the material mimics the excitatory response of pressure-sensing neurons in the human skin. The composites, formed of silicone and graphitic nanoparticles, were prepared in several allotropic forms and functionalized with naphthalene diimide molecules. A systematic study is presented of the negative differential resistance (NDR) region of the current-voltage curves, which is responsible for the material’s active properties. This study was conducted as a function of temperature, graphite filling fraction, scaling to reveal the break-up of the samples into electric field domains at the onset of the NDR region, and an electric-field induced metal-insulator transition in graphite nanoparticles. The effect of molecular functionalization on the miscibility threshold and the current-voltage curves is demonstrated. Room-temperature and low-temperature measurements were performed on these composite films under strains using a remote-controlled, custom-made step motor bench.

Authors and Affiliations

  • Department of Physics, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom

    Samuel David Littlejohn

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