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There is a great military, space, and industry need for wireless systems that can operate under extreme conditions such as high temperatures and harsh chemical environments. Some of the applications inc lude planetary rovers for space exploration missions, wireless systems for mining and oil drilling applications, monitoring combustion turbines, and wireless environmental monitoring of first responders. Since antennas are the most critical components of a wireless system, design of antennas capable of surviving harsh environments is significant for overall system reliability and efficient communication. Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia (YSZ) is a ceramic, which has been recently used in a wide variety of gas sensing, biomedical, and thermal applications. YSZ has properties of high temperature tolerance, moisture resistance, high strength and corrosion resistance, and structural stability. One of the recent applications of YSZ is its utilization as a substrate material in the design of patch antennas. The electrical properties of YSZ allows for designing antennas with compact form factor and high efficiency due to high relative permittivity and low loss tangent.
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Ultra‐Flexible Visible‐Blind Optoelectronics for Wired and Wireless UV Sensing in Harsh Environments
Abstract Exploring remote destinations on Earth and in space such as the Antarctic and Mars is of great significance to science and technology. Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation at those locations is usually strong due to the depletion or absence of ozone, which is often accompanied by strong visible light interference and harsh environments with extreme temperatures. Those exploration missions extensively utilize flexible and foldable membranes and shells to meet the extreme requirements on structural size and weight. Ultra‐flexible UV photodetectors (PDs) capable of surviving harsh environments with additional ability to integrate on flexible and foldable structures for in situ visible‐blind UV sensing are critical to the protection of human explorers and engineering materials. However, the development of such UV PDs remains challenging. Here, this work introduces wired and wireless optoelectronic devices based on visible‐blind, ultra‐flexible, sub‐micron nanocomposites of zinc oxide nanoparticles and single‐walled carbon nanotubes. In‐depth studies demonstrate their operation at cold and hot temperatures and low air pressure. Those PDs can employ flexible near‐field communication circuits for wireless, battery‐free data acquisition. Their ultra‐flexibility allows folding into a sharp crease and conformal integration to flexible and origami structures, bringing further opportunities for UV detection in demanding missions on Earth and in space.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2030579
- PAR ID:
- 10449471
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Advanced Materials Technologies
- Volume:
- 6
- Issue:
- 9
- ISSN:
- 2365-709X
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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