Nanofibril scaffold assisted MEMS artificial hydrogel neuromasts for enhanced sensitivity flow sensing
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Kottapalli-2016-Nanoribril scaffold.pdf
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Author(s)
Kottapalli, Ajay Giri Prakash
Bora, Meghali
Asadnia, Mohsen
Miao, Jianmin
Venkatraman, Subbu S.
Triantafyllou, Michael S.
Date Issued
January 2016
Journal
Scientific Reports
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
Citation
Kottapalli, Ajay Giri Prakash, Meghali Bora, Mohsen Asadnia, Jianmin Miao, Subbu S. Venkatraman, and Michael Triantafyllou. “Nanofibril Scaffold Assisted MEMS Artificial Hydrogel Neuromasts for Enhanced Sensitivity Flow Sensing.” Scientific Reports 6 (January 14, 2016): 19336.
Version
Final published version
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.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1038/srep19336
