Innovation Spins Spider Web Architecture Into 3D Biomedical Imaging Technology

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Purdue Spider Web Architecture

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A spiderweb-inspired fractal style is utilized for hemispherical 3D photodetection to duplicate the vision system of arthropods. Credit: Sena Huh/Purdue University

Purdue University innovators are taking hints from nature to establish 3D photodetectors for biomedical imaging.

The Purdue scientists utilized some architectural functions from spider webs to establish the innovation. Spider webs usually offer outstanding mechanical flexibility and damage-tolerance versus different mechanical loads such as storms.

“We employed the unique fractal design of a spider web for the development of deformable and reliable electronics that can seamlessly interface with any 3D curvilinear surface,” stated Chi Hwan Lee, a Purdue assistant teacher of biomedical engineering and mechanical engineering. “For example, we demonstrated a hemispherical, or dome-shaped, photodetector array that can detect both direction and intensity of incident light at the same time, like the vision system of arthropods such as insects and crustaceans.”

The Purdue innovation utilizes the structural architecture of a spider web that shows a duplicating pattern. This work is supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF; CMMI-1928784) and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL; S-114-054-002). It is released in Advanced Materials.

Lee stated this offers distinct abilities to disperse externally caused tension throughout the threads according to the efficient ratio of spiral and radial measurements and offers higher extensibility to much better dissipate force under extending. Lee stated it likewise can endure small cuts of the threads while preserving general strength and function of the whole web architecture.

“The resulting 3D optoelectronic architectures are particularly attractive for photodetection systems that require a large field of view and wide-angle antireflection, which will be useful for many biomedical and military imaging purposes,” stated Muhammad Ashraful Alam, the Jai N. Gupta Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Alam stated the work develops a platform innovation that can incorporate a fractal website design with system-level hemispherical electronic devices and sensing units, consequently using a number of outstanding mechanical flexibility and damage-tolerance versus different mechanical loads.

“The assembly technique presented in this work enables deploying 2D deformable electronics in 3D architectures, which may foreshadow new opportunities to better advance the field of 3D electronic and optoelectronic devices,” Lee stated.

Reference: “Fractal Web Design of a Hemispherical Photodetector Array with Organic‐Dye‐Sensitized Graphene Hybrid Composites” by Eun Kwang Lee, Ratul Kumar Baruah, Jung Woo Leem, Woohyun Park, Bong Hoon Kim, Augustine Urbas, Zahyun Ku, Young L. Kim, Muhammad Ashraful Alam and Chi Hwan Lee, 12 October 2020, Advanced Materials.
DOI: 10.1002/adma.202004456

The group is dealing with the Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization to protect a patent for the innovation.