A smart microelectromechanical sensor and switch triggered by gas

by A. Bouchaala, N. Jaber, O. Shekhah, V. Chernikova, M. Eddaoudi, M.I. Younis
Year: 2016 DOI: 10.1063/1.4955309

Extra Information

Appl. Phys. Lett. 109, 013502-1-4, (2016)

Abstract

There is an increasing interest to realize smarter sensors and actuators that can deliver a multitude of sophisticated functionalities while being compact in size and of low cost. We report here combining both sensing and actuation on the same device based on a single microstructure. Specifically, we demonstrate a smart resonant gas (mass) sensor, which in addition to being capable of quantifying the amount of absorbed gas, can be autonomously triggered as an electrical switch upon exceeding a preset threshold of absorbed gas. Toward this, an electrostatically actuated polymer microbeam is fabricated and is then functionalized with a metal-organic framework, namely, HKUST-1. The microbeam is demonstrated to absorb vapors up to a certain threshold, after which is shown to collapse through the dynamic pull-in instability. Upon pull-in, the microstructure can be made to act as an electrical switch to achieve desirable actions, such as alarming.
 

Keywords

Crystalline materials electrostatic actuators Organometallics