Rapid mixing of viscous liquids by electrical coiling.

The control for the processing of precursor liquids determines whether the properties and functions of the final material product can be engineered. An inherent challenge of processing viscous liquids arises from their large resistance to deform. Here, we report on the discovery of an electric approach that can significantly contribute to address this challenge. The applied electric force can induce a straight viscous jet to coil, and the resulting coiling characteristics are governed by the electric stress. We demonstrate the promising use of electrical coiling in the rapid and efficient mixing of viscous liquids. Remarkably, the degree of mixing can be precisely adjusted by tuning the applied electric stress. Our approach of controlling the coiling electrically has important implications on applications such as dispensing and printing of resins, printing patterned surfaces and scaffolds, processing of food and generating non-woven fabrics.

Miniaturized acceleration sensors with in-plane polarized piezoelectric thin films produced by micromachining.

Miniaturized acceleration sensors employing piezoelectric thin films were fabricated through batch micromachining with silicon and silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers. The acceleration sensors comprised multiple suspension beams supporting a central seismic mass. Ferroelectric (Pb,La)(Zr,Ti) O(3) (PLZT) thin films were coated and in-plane polarized on the surfaces of the suspension beams for realizing electromechanical conversion through the piezoelectric effect. Interdigital electrodes were formed on the PLZT films and connected in parallel. Finite element analyses were conducted for the stress and strain distributions, providing guidance to the structural design, including optimizing electrode positioning for collecting the electrical output constructively. Uniformity of the beam thickness and sample consistency were significantly improved by using SOI wafers instead of silicon wafers. The measurement results showed that all the sensor samples had fundamental resonances of symmetric out-of-plane vibration mode at frequencies in the range of 8 to 35 kHz, depending on the sample dimensions. These sensors exhibited stable electrical outputs in response to acceleration input, achieving a high signal-to-noise ratio without any external amplifier or signal conditioning.