Bio-inspired flexible vibration visualization sensor based on piezo-electrochromic effect

• Main Authors: Xuan Chen, Laihui Luo, Zhou Zeng, Jie Jiao, Mudassar Shehzad, Guoliang Yuan, Haosu Luo, Yaojin Wang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2020-12-01
• Series: Journal of Materiomics
• Subjects: Piezoelectric; Ferroelectric single crystals; Flexible electronics; Vibration sensor; Electrochromic
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352847820300915

Monitoring structural vibration can provide quantitative information for both structural health evaluations and early-warning maintenance. The most classic vibration-based structural health monitoring is equipped with piezoelectric accelerometers, which is expensive and inconvenient due to cumbersome and time-consuming sensor installation and high power-consumptive data acquisition systems. One other main challenge with these systems is the inherent limitations for multi-point monitoring in critical elements with curvature due to their non-conformability. Here, inspired by the chameleon, we report a cost-effective, flexible and conformal, self-powered vibration sensor based on elasto-electro-chemical synergistic effect of piezoelectricity and electrochromism. The sensor can provide not only in-situ visualization, but also ex-situ recording of structural vibration due to the non-volatile color memory effect of electrochromism. The passive sensor system is composed of two distinct electronic components — ternary Pb(In1/2Nb1/2)O3Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3PbTiO3 piezoelectric single crystal ribbon sensors and a solid-state tungsten trioxide electrochromic indicator driven by vibration-induced voltage generated by the piezoelectric ribbons. The proposed piezo-electrochromic based passive non-volatile visualization sensor may find diverse applications in structural health monitoring, smart wallpapers, and medical injury rehabilitation.