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The liquid level detection principle of cladding mode frustrated total internal reflection (CMFTIR) effect is proposed. The significant enhancement of CMFTIR effect is realized through macro-bend coupling system in which the dark-field coupling phenomenon between two multimode polymer optic fibers is observed through experiment. Especially twisted macro-bend coupling structure (TMBCS) is adopted to achieve stable coupling of two naked POF. The testing result showed that the dark-filed forward coupling efficiency reached 2‰ and the extinction ratio of the liquid level probe reached 4.18 dB. Compared with existing optical fiber liquid level sensors, the TMBCS probe is simpler, robuster, and cheaper. In addition, the TMBCS has the potential for displacement or stress sensing.

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High-output flexible piezoelectric nanogenerators (PENGs) have achieved great progress and are promising applications for harvesting mechanical energy and supplying power to flexible electronics. In this work, unique core–shell structured Ga-PbZr x Ti1–x O3 (PZT)@GaO x nanorods were synthesized by a simple mechanical mixing method and then were applied as fillers in a poly­(vinylidene fluoride–trifluoroethylene) (P­(VDF-TrFE)) matrix to obtain highly efficient PENGs with excellent energy-harvesting properties. The decoration of gallium nanoparticles on PZT @GaO x nanorods can amplify the local electric field, facilitate the increment of polar β-phase fraction in P­(VDF-TrFE), and strengthen the polarizability of PZT and P­(VDF-TrFE). The interfacial interactions of GaO x and P­(VDF-TrFE) are also in favor of an increased β-phase fraction, which results in a remarkable improvement of PENG performance. The optimized Ga-PZT@GaO x /P­(VDF-TrFE) PENG delivers a maximum open-circuit voltage of 98.6 V and a short-circuit current of 0.3 μA with 9.8 μW instantaneous power under a vertical force of 12 N at a frequency of 30 Hz. Such a PENG exhibits a stable output voltage after 6 000 cycles by the durability test. Moreover, the liquid gallium metal offers a mechanical matching interface between rigid PZT and the soft polymer matrix, which benefits the effective, durable mechanical energy-harvesting capability from the physical activities of elbow joint bending and walking. This research renders a deep association between a liquid metal and piezoelectric ceramics in the field of piezoelectric energy conversion, offering a promising approach toward self-powered smart wearable devices.

A film buck acoustic resonator (FBAR) operated in shear mode was fabricated and integrated with a microchannel for detection of the carcinoembryonic antigens (CEA).

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AlN solidly mounted resonators with silicone microfluidic systems vibrating in shear mode are fabricated and characterized. The fabrication process is compatible with integrated circuits and the 𝑐-axis tilted AlN films are deposited, which allow in-liquid operation through excitation of the shear mode. The silicone microfluidic system is mounted on top of the sensor chip to transport the analyses and confine the flow to the active area. The properties of sensor operation in air, deionized water, ethanol, isopropanol, 80% glycol aqueous solution, glycol, and olive oil are characterized. The effects of different viscosities on the resonance frequency shift and 𝑄-factor of the sensor have been discussed. The sensitivity and 𝑄 value in glycol of the sensor are 1.52 MHz cm 2 /𝜇g and around 60, respectively. The results indicate the potential of a highly sensitive microfluidic sensor system for the applications in viscous media.

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