Micromachined lead zirconium titanate thin-film-cantilever-based acoustic emission sensor with poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) actuator for increasing contact pressure

This paper presents an innovative acousticemission (AE) sensor with a cantilever sensing structure. A hydrothermal lead zirconium titanate (PZT) film was deposited on the cantilever for AE sensing, and an SU8 micropillar at the free end of the cantilever served as an AE wave coupler; in addition, a poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-based thermoresponsive actuator was integrated with the cantilever to increase the contact pressure exerted on the target. The AE sensor showed higher performance compared with an existing commercial AE sensor. Micromachining technology was used to fabricate AE sensors, and an array of four sensors was fabricated on a 50 μ m thick titanium substrate of dimensions 15 mm × 15 mm. The piezoelectric properties of the hydrothermal PZT film were verified by electrically driving the cantilever and measuring the displacement; the piezoelectric constant d ₃₁ of the cantilever was 2.43 pC N⁻¹. The output force of the sensing cantilever generated by activating the thermoresponsive actuator was determined. For an electrical power input of 2.5 W, the maximum force output at the SU8 micropillar was 1 N. This force corresponded to the application of a pressure of 1.4 MPa on the target. Pencil lead break tests were conducted to determine and compare the performance of the proposed AE sensor with commercial sensors. Here, experimental and theoretical discussions on the effect of the activation of the thermoresponsive actuator of the proposed AE sensor on AE detection are presented. (paper)