Inside Front Cover: Trilayered Ceramic-Metal-Polymer Microcantilevers with Dramatically Enhanced Thermal Sensitivity (Adv. Mater. 9/2006)

• Published in: Advanced materials (Weinheim) 2006-05, Vol.18 (9), p.n/a
• Main Authors: Lin, Y.-H., McConney, M. E., LeMieux, M. C., Peleshanko, S., Jiang, C., Singamaneni, S., Tsukruk, V. V.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Atomic force microscopy; Ceramic composites; Composite materials; Hybrid materials; Sensors; Sensors, temperature; temperature; Thermoresponsive materials
• ISSN: 0935-9648; 1521-4095
• DOI: 10.1002/adma.200690037

A novel trilayered (ceramic–metal–polymer) design for highly sensitive, thermally responsive microcantilever arrays is reported on p. 1157 by Tsukruk and co‐workers. In this design, the topmost nanocomposite layer, reinforced with carbon nanotubes and silver nanoparticles, acts as a strong thermal‐stress‐driven actuator to enhance conventional biomaterial performance. These polymer–metal–ceramic microcantilevers with enhanced (fourfold) thermal sensitivity may serve as a basis for the next generation of uncooled thermal microsensor arrays because of outstanding thermal and spatial resolution. Trilayered ceramic–metal–polymer thermally sensitive microcantilevers with the topmost polymer nanocomposite layers reinforced with carbon nanotubes and metal nanoparticles are described (see figure and inside cover). These trilayered microcantilevers show dramatically enhanced thermal sensitivity and could be used in next‐generation uncooled IR sensor arrays with thermal and spatial resolution many times higher than currently available sensors.