04-12-2012, 12:32 PM
IMPLANTABLE FLEXIBLE SENSOR BASED ON ALIGNED-CARBON NANOTUBES FOR BLOOD PRESSURE MONITORING
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Introduction
Given the specifications of EVAR, the device must be foldable, extremely flexible and characterized by a very small profile. Aligned-CNTs embedded in a flexible substrate of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) are used to fabricate the elements of the capacitive sensor (namely an inductor and the capacitor electrodes). Fabricated sensors prototypes validate our approach and show that A-CNTs/PDMS layered composites can be used to create highly flexible pressure sensors.
Conclusion
We demonstrate that a technology based on aligned-CNTs embedded in a flexible matrix of PDMS has proven successful in the development of flexible pressure sensors. A surveillance mechanism based on pressure changes, to measure the pressure in an aneurysm sac, is an attractive solution to detect possible post-EVAR problems. Future work includes the development of an inductor embedded in the nanocomposite using conductive fibers that enables the fabrication of a LC network for passive telemetry.