Novel protein based pressure transducer

The need for intra-organ pressure measurement can only be facilitated by adapting existing pressure sensing technology to the specific tissues under test. The customization of these sensors has only increased cost and the need to explore new technologies has become increasingly more important. For this article, we explore the use of electrochemical pressure sensing to provide a low-cost pressure sensor to fill this need. Here we show that gelatin exhibits a change in impedance when pressurized if bubbles are first electrolyzed in the gel creating an aerogel. Using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and model fitting, it is shown that this effect occurs at the aerogel/hydrogel interface and the change in impedance is linearly related to the change in applied pressure. Micrographs were taken of the interface during pressurization and image analysis demonstrates that the change in surface area of the interface is also linearly related to the change in applied pressure.

► Surface area of the sol/gel interface of an aerogel is related to its electrochemical properties.
► Impedance of the sol/gel interface is linearly related to the exposed surface area.
► Open circuit voltage of the sol/gel interface is linearly related to the exposed surface area.
► Change in surface area of sol/gel interface is linearly related to the change in applied pressure.
► A linear relationship between pressure and voltage lends itself well to pressure sensors.