title: Nanofibril scaffold assisted MEMS artificial hydrogel neuromasts for enhanced sensitivity flow sensing.
abstract: We present the development and testing of superficial neuromast-inspired flow sensors that also attain high sensitivity and resolution through a biomimetic hyaulronic acid-based hydrogel cupula dressing. The inspiration comes from the spatially distributed neuromasts of the blind cavefish that live in completely dark undersea caves; the sensors enable the fish to form three-dimensional flow and object maps, enabling them to maneuver efficiently in cluttered environments. A canopy shaped electrospun nanofibril scaffold, inspired by the cupular fibrils, assists the drop-casting process allowing the formation of a prolate spheroid-shaped artificial cupula. Rheological and nanoindentation characterizations showed that the Young's modulus of the artificial cupula closely matches the biological cupula (10-100 Pa). A comparative experimental study conducted to evaluate the sensitivities of the naked hair cell sensor and the cupula-dressed sensor in sensing steady-state flows demonstrated a sensitivity enhancement by 3.5-5 times due to the presence of hydrogel cupula. The novel strategies of sensor development presented in this report are applicable to the design and fabrication of other biomimetic sensors as well. The developed sensors can be used in the navigation and maneuvering of underwater robots, but can also find applications in biomedical and microfluidic devices.
authors.affiliation: School of Mechanical &Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798.|Center for Environmental Sensing and Modeling (CENSAM) IRG Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART) Centre, 3 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117543.
authors.forename: Ajay Giri Prakash
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Kottapalli
authors.affiliation: School of Material Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798.
authors.forename: Meghali
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bora
authors.affiliation: Center for Environmental Sensing and Modeling (CENSAM) IRG Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART) Centre, 3 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117543.|School of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia.
authors.forename: Mohsen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Asadnia
authors.affiliation: School of Mechanical &Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798.
authors.forename: Jianmin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Miao
authors.affiliation: School of Material Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798.
authors.forename: Subbu S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Venkatraman
authors.affiliation: Center for Environmental Sensing and Modeling (CENSAM) IRG Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART) Centre, 3 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117543.|Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Triantafyllou
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D032701:Biomimetics; D015374:Biosensing Techniques; D055119:Elastic Modulus; D005399:Fishes; D057446:Hydrodynamics; D020136:Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate / Q000737:chemistry; D055617:Micro-Electrical-Mechanical Systems; D057139:Nanofibers / Q000737:chemistry / Q000648:ultrastructure
chemical_list: D020136:Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate