Transducer mechano-electrical

Ultrasonic transducer Mechano-electrical transduction device USANS Ultra small angle neutron scattering USAXS Ultra small angle X-ray scattering UV Ultra violet... 

Mechanosensitive ion channels can be looked at as membrane-embedded mechano-electrical switches. They play a critical role in transducing physical stresses at the cell membrane (e.g. lipid bilayer deformations) into an electrochemical response. Two types of stretch-activated channels have been reported the mechanosensitive channels of large conductance (MscL) and mechanosensitive channels of small conductance (MscS). 

The human inner ear is embedded in the temporal bone and houses the sensory epithelia of the cochlea and vestibular apparatus (Fig. 1). The sensory epithelia contain hair cells which transduce the stimulus of sound or motion into nerve impulses. Hair cells are equipped with an apical mechano-sensitive apparatus made up by three rows of actin-containing stereocilia of increasing length. Displacement of the stereocilia towards the longest row opens (gates) mechano-electrical transduction channels, whereas deflection into the opposing direction closes the channels [12],... 

Fig. 2 Design variants of hydrogel-based sensors 1 bending plate 2 mechano-electrical transducer (piezoresistive bridge) 3 swellable hydrogel 4 Si substrate (5 mm x 5 mm x 0.3 mm) 5 socket 6 tube 7 interconnect 8 solution 9 Si chip (5 mm x 5 mm x 0.4 mm). Reprinted from (Gerlach et al. 2004 Gerlach et al. 2005 Guenther et al. 2005, 2006, 2007b) with kind permission from Elsevier, Wiley-VCH and SPIE...

Stimuli-responsive polymers consist of a class of smart materials that exhibit a physical response to changes in external conditions. Such stimuli include changes in pH, ionic strength, solvent polarity, and temperature, as well as mechanical force or electric fields. On the basis of their ability to switch conformations, stimuli-responsive polymers are being applied as sensors, actuators, and transducers (e.g., mechano-electrical or mechano-optical). Nanoporous membranes can be functionalized with stimuli-responsive polymers to modify their permeability, that is, to reversibly open and close the pores upon a given stimulus. ... 

The teorell membrane oscillator as a mechano-electric transducer. J. Memh. Bid., 11, 197-216. 

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