A piezo-thermal probe for thermomechanical analysis

Thermomechanical analysis (TMA) is widely used to characterize materials and determine transition temperatures and thermal expansion coefficients. Atomic-force microscopy (AFM) microcantilevers have been used for TMA. We have developed a micromachined probe that includes two embedded sensors: one for measuring the mechanical movement of the...

A colorimetric receptor combined with a microcantilever sensor for explosive vapor detection

Substantial effort has been devoted to the synthesis of molecular receptors that can function as chemosensors for nitroaromatic explosives. In spite of several advantages, these receptors suffer from low sensitivity and difficulties translating the response into the gas phase. We have combined tetrathiafulvalene-functionalized calix[4]pyrrole, a...

Characterization of room temperature metal microbolometers near the metal-insulator transition regime for scanning thermal microscopy

Metal microbolometers, used in scanning thermal microscopy, were microfabricated from <20?nm titanium thin films on SiO2/Si3N4/SiO2 cantilevers. These thin films are near the metal-insulator transition regime such that as the film thickness decreases—the resistance increases and the current-voltage characteristics cross over from sublinear to...