Abstract:
An apparatus comprising: —a piezoelectric convertor layer; and —a proximal first piezoresistive layer being in electrical communication with, a first face of the piezoelectric convertor layer, the apparatus being configured such that when the piezoelectric convertor layer is deformed to generate charge, the proximal piezoresistive layer is configured to control the flow of charge from the piezoelectric convertor layer.
Abstract:
An apparatus 100 comprises a substrate 102 ; a sensing material 104 for example comprising one or more of a carbon foam, aluminium foam or a graphene foam, located on the substrate; a first pair of contacts 106 coupled to the sensing material and separated by a first distance 108; and a second pair of contacts 110 coupled to the sensing material and separated by a second distance 112, the second distance being greater than the first distance. The apparatus is configured to provide a first electrical property measurement, such as resistance, resistivity, current, current density, or voltage, between the first pair of contacts and to provide a second electrical property measurement between the second pair of contacts. The first and second electrical property measurements are used in determining an ambient temperature and/or a substrate temperature. Also disclosed is a controller for use with such an apparatus. The apparatus may be one or more of a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a laptop, a smart watch, personal digital assistant, or a digital camera, for example.