Optimization of inkjet printed electrochemical, organic field-effect transistors
Undergraduate Research Assistant - Linda Vanasupa (Principle Investigator)
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
June 2017 - September 2017
Reproducing and optimizing inkjet printed electrochemical organic electronics, and electronic testing of newly developed electronic components. Focus is on normally-on FETs, OFET, TFT, ECT.
The electronic components are made from combined deposition and patterning techniques on rough flexible substrates using PEDOT:PSS and an electrolyte solution.
SAMPLE OF ISLAND-BRIDGE CIRCUIT DESIGN I DEISGNED AND FABRICATED.
Circuits design and mechanical stretchability testing of stretchable and wearable electronics for energy harvesting and storage devices
REU Researcher - Xu Group
San Diego Nanotechnology Infrastructure (SDNI) at University of California San Diego
June 2016 - September 2016
Power supplies, as vital components in wearable electronics, must be light, flexible, and possess high power capacity in order to accommodate integration with the soft, low-modulus mechanics at the system level. Biocompatibility is another requirement given that these systems will contact the human body while in application. The island-bridge microstructure is a widely used layout for stretchable and wearable electronics, owing to its large stretchability, high robustness, and low cost. In this study, copper island-bridge layouts were designed and fabricated by integrating serpentine interconnections with commercial coin cells and the stretchable silicone elastomer Eco-Flex. The aim of this study is to determine the layout design with the largest stretchability and highest reliability. Therefore, different diameters of the islands, thicknesses of the interconnections, spacing intervals, and thicknesses of copper layers in the stretchable devices were investigated. Then, electrical measurement, including open voltage tests, and mechanical reliability tests, such as uniaxial and biaxial strain capability test, were both conducted.
Mechanical testing of spines, microstructure analysis, and percent crystallinity of cellulose to draw relationship between mechanical and material properties of cactus spines
Undergraduate Research Assistant - Trevor Harding (Principle Investigator)
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
September 2015 - June 2016, September 2016 - June 2017
Cactus spies are environmentally friendly composites with great properties but little is understood about their structure, which allows for high specific strength and stiffness values. Literature on mechanical and material properties of cactus spines exist, but there is no expansive research in the field (the literature/research focus on particular breeds of succulents. The purpose of the research is to further knowledge and understanding of the high mechanical and material properties of the spines. In this study multitudes of different cactus spines where tested to determine their mechanical properties. Scanning electron microscopy was done to characterize the spines microstructures, and x-ray diffraction was used to determine the percent crystallinity of cellulose of the spines.