Elastic MCF Rubber with Photovoltaics and Sensing for Use as Artificial or Hybrid Skin (H-Skin): 1st Report on Dry-Type Solar Cell Rubber with Piezoelectricity for Compressive Sensing
Ordinary solar cells are very difficult to bend, squash by compression, or extend by tensile strength. However, if they were to possess elastic, flexible, and extensible properties, in addition to piezo-electricity and resistivity, they could be put to effective use as artificial skin installed over...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2018-06-01
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| Series: | Sensors |
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| Online Access: | http://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/18/6/1841 |
| _version_ | 1811186240806977536 |
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| author | Kunio Shimada |
| author_facet | Kunio Shimada |
| author_sort | Kunio Shimada |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Ordinary solar cells are very difficult to bend, squash by compression, or extend by tensile strength. However, if they were to possess elastic, flexible, and extensible properties, in addition to piezo-electricity and resistivity, they could be put to effective use as artificial skin installed over human-like robots or humanoids. Further, it could serve as a husk that generates electric power from solar energy and perceives any force or temperature changes. Therefore, we propose a new type of artificial skin, called hybrid skin (H-Skin), for a humanoid robot having hybrid functions. In this study, a novel elastic solar cell is developed from natural rubber that is electrolytically polymerized with a configuration of magnetic clusters of metal particles incorporated into the rubber, by applying a magnetic field. The material thus produced is named magnetic compound fluid rubber (MCF rubber) that is elastic, flexible, and extensible. The present report deals with a dry-type MCF rubber solar cell that uses photosensitized dye molecules. First, the photovoltaic mechanism in the material is investigated. Next, the changes in the photovoltaic properties of its molecules due to irradiation by visible light are measured under compression. The effect of the compression on its piezoelectric properties is investigated. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T13:42:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8b13dd7e104c48368443eeaaf6c85772 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-8220 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T13:42:10Z |
| publishDate | 2018-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Sensors |
| spelling | doaj.art-8b13dd7e104c48368443eeaaf6c857722022-12-22T04:21:12ZengMDPI AGSensors1424-82202018-06-01186184110.3390/s18061841s18061841Elastic MCF Rubber with Photovoltaics and Sensing for Use as Artificial or Hybrid Skin (H-Skin): 1st Report on Dry-Type Solar Cell Rubber with Piezoelectricity for Compressive SensingKunio Shimada0Faculty of Symbiotic Systems Sciences, Fukushima University, 1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima 960-1296, JapanOrdinary solar cells are very difficult to bend, squash by compression, or extend by tensile strength. However, if they were to possess elastic, flexible, and extensible properties, in addition to piezo-electricity and resistivity, they could be put to effective use as artificial skin installed over human-like robots or humanoids. Further, it could serve as a husk that generates electric power from solar energy and perceives any force or temperature changes. Therefore, we propose a new type of artificial skin, called hybrid skin (H-Skin), for a humanoid robot having hybrid functions. In this study, a novel elastic solar cell is developed from natural rubber that is electrolytically polymerized with a configuration of magnetic clusters of metal particles incorporated into the rubber, by applying a magnetic field. The material thus produced is named magnetic compound fluid rubber (MCF rubber) that is elastic, flexible, and extensible. The present report deals with a dry-type MCF rubber solar cell that uses photosensitized dye molecules. First, the photovoltaic mechanism in the material is investigated. Next, the changes in the photovoltaic properties of its molecules due to irradiation by visible light are measured under compression. The effect of the compression on its piezoelectric properties is investigated.http://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/18/6/1841hybrid skin (H-Skin)solar cellsensingpiezoelectricityphotovoltaicsnatural rubberelectrolytic polymerizationmagnetic clustermagnetic fieldmagnetic compound fluid (MCF)artificial skinrobothumanoid |
| spellingShingle | Kunio Shimada Elastic MCF Rubber with Photovoltaics and Sensing for Use as Artificial or Hybrid Skin (H-Skin): 1st Report on Dry-Type Solar Cell Rubber with Piezoelectricity for Compressive Sensing Sensors hybrid skin (H-Skin) solar cell sensing piezoelectricity photovoltaics natural rubber electrolytic polymerization magnetic cluster magnetic field magnetic compound fluid (MCF) artificial skin robot humanoid |
| title | Elastic MCF Rubber with Photovoltaics and Sensing for Use as Artificial or Hybrid Skin (H-Skin): 1st Report on Dry-Type Solar Cell Rubber with Piezoelectricity for Compressive Sensing |
| title_full | Elastic MCF Rubber with Photovoltaics and Sensing for Use as Artificial or Hybrid Skin (H-Skin): 1st Report on Dry-Type Solar Cell Rubber with Piezoelectricity for Compressive Sensing |
| title_fullStr | Elastic MCF Rubber with Photovoltaics and Sensing for Use as Artificial or Hybrid Skin (H-Skin): 1st Report on Dry-Type Solar Cell Rubber with Piezoelectricity for Compressive Sensing |
| title_full_unstemmed | Elastic MCF Rubber with Photovoltaics and Sensing for Use as Artificial or Hybrid Skin (H-Skin): 1st Report on Dry-Type Solar Cell Rubber with Piezoelectricity for Compressive Sensing |
| title_short | Elastic MCF Rubber with Photovoltaics and Sensing for Use as Artificial or Hybrid Skin (H-Skin): 1st Report on Dry-Type Solar Cell Rubber with Piezoelectricity for Compressive Sensing |
| title_sort | elastic mcf rubber with photovoltaics and sensing for use as artificial or hybrid skin h skin 1st report on dry type solar cell rubber with piezoelectricity for compressive sensing |
| topic | hybrid skin (H-Skin) solar cell sensing piezoelectricity photovoltaics natural rubber electrolytic polymerization magnetic cluster magnetic field magnetic compound fluid (MCF) artificial skin robot humanoid |
| url | http://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/18/6/1841 |
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