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Title: Additively Manufactured Reconfigurable Microwave Components Based on Microfluidics for Wireless Sensing and Internet-of-Things Applications
Committee:
Dr. Tentzeris, Advisor
Dr. Sarioglu, Chair
Dr. Peterson
Abstract:
The objective of the proposed research is to interface additive manufacturing and microfluidics with microwave and radio frequency (RF) electronics to provide a novel low-cost flexible and reconfigurable solution for Internet-of-Things (IoT). Microfluidics, an emerging technology which allows the precise control of an extremely small amount of liquid with tiny channels, can be used in IoT applications to achieve Lab-on-Chip (LoC) functionality and an extraordinary reconfigurability. This work has developed various proof-of-concept disposable microwave liquid sensors and sensing platforms for LoC applications. To realize an excellent reconfigurability low-costly and compactly, this research also has studied new reconfigurable RF integration topologies by integrating microfluidic channels and dielectric or conducting liquids. In order to significantly decrease the production time and cost, and thus to enhance the ubiquitous smart items, this research apply additive manufacturing (AM) in IoT applications. This research has been exploring the possibility of replacing the conventional electronics and microfluidics fabrication methods with cost-effective additive manufacturing methods such as inkjet-printing and 3D printing. This work presents first-of-its-kind, cost-effective, rapid, low-temperature, and environmental-friendly AM fabrication methods for various reconfigurable antennas or microwave components, wearable sensors, and sensing platforms. In summary, this research focuses on utilizing new AM fabrication techniques and novel microfluidics topologies to provide a low-cost, flexible, and scalable solution for wireless sensing and IoT applications.
