Page 233 - Polymer-based Nanocomposites for Energy and Environmental Applications

Polymer nanocomposites for 7

sensor devices

†
Rashmita Das*, A.J. Pattanayak , Sarat K. Swain †
†
*Vikash Group of Institutions, Bargarh, India, Veer Surendra Sai University of
Technology, Sambalpur, India

7.1 Introduction

7.1.1 Polymer nanocomposites
Polymers are the linear or cross-linked combinations of their monomer units.
Composites are the substances made up of two or more component materials with dis-
tinct phases and properties. Polymer composites are the polymer-based materials
made up of (i) matrix phase with high elastic property with low bulk modulus and
(ii) reinforcing phase materials that have very high load capacity. The properties of
polymer composite completely differ from its individual components. Polymers are
flexible having the property of high elasticity preferably chosen as matrix component.
The composite materials are most effective in micro- and nanoscale range. In
nanocomposites, materials of two phase are equally merged in the range of nanometer
not exceed 100 nm. The shape of nanoparticles like spherical, platy depends upon
polymeric composite. Polymers and nanoparticle in the form of inorganic and organic
state are the basis for improved mechanical, optical, and electric properties of
nanocomposites. Due to the unique unmatchable properties in the past, nanocom-
posites are applied to different fields of science and technology such as biology,
medicine, electronics, and chemistry [1–8].

7.1.2 Sensor

It is an electronic device or module or a subsystem that conveys or precedes the infor-
mation to other electronic devices such as computer processor, after detecting events
around it or in its environment. A sensor is not a unitary device; it is always in
connection with other electronic devices; it may be as simple as a ray of light or as
complex as a computer system. The sensitivity of a sensor measures how much output
changes occur in the form of signal for a measured input change. Sensing can be either
by analog to analog or by analog to digital converter. Broadly, sensors in nature are
classified into two types. (a) Biosensor—when we consider the biological world, all
the living contains biological sensor, which analogous to the mechanical devices. The
sensor functions are carried out by some specialized cell or tissues that are sensitive to
factors of external environment such as light, temperature, gravity, sound, humidity,
moisture, vibration, electric field, and magnetic field. Apart from these, the cells are
Polymer-based Nanocomposites for Energy and Environmental Applications. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-102262-7.00007-6
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