At the university of Tokyo in Japan and the United States at the university of Texas at Dallas, researchers developed a can use printing process manufacturing "flexible thermometer (ultra - thin thermometer)", the research is published in the proceedings of the national academy of sciences (PNAS) in electronic form. 

Thermometer is very soft, can stick on the skin like a band-aid to use, only need to paste it or wrapped around the object under test, you can monitor the temperature of small fluctuations. 

This kind of material with semi crystalline acrylate polymer composite materials and synthesis of graphite, its resistance increases with Temperature increasing, the Positive correlation is called "polymer PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient: Positive Temperature Coefficient)". 

When synthetic polymer, with the method of change two monomer mix proportion, temperature can make response near the body temperature adjustment. Specific is, by changing the eighteenth acrylate and butyl acrylate ratio of the two substances in polymer, make its can monitor interval adjustment between 25 ~ 50 ℃. So it is very suitable for as a temperature sensor for measuring body temperature. And the adjustment method is to change the molecular weight of polymer PTC response temperature, so the response of temperature control is low. 

A thermometer is very thin, only 15 microns, equivalent to a quarter of a human hair; Bending radius is 700 microns, like above said can on the surface of living, like a band-aid. 

It has a high sensitivity (mk 20 [K is kelvin, mk is one over one thousand of the kelvin]) and response speed (less than 100 ms). The higher the sensitivity, the higher accuracy. Such as, low sensitivity of thermometer can change 1 ℃, but the high sensitivity of the 20 mk material means that at the time of 25 degrees Celsius, 0.02 degrees temperature changes can be detected, whether very sister goose melody! And the response speed of less than 100 ms is if the temperature change, the resistance of the temperature sensor will occur within 100 ms. 

Thermometer to measure temperature range is 25 ~ 50 ℃, area covers practically perfect body temperature (34.7 ℃ ~ 38 ℃). The team also made use of printing process integration of the active matrix organic transistor 12 x 12 more thermometer. And real-time measurement of the surface temperature distribution. It can accurately measure the temperature stability of warm-blooded lung, including the core of the lungs and inhaled air temperature difference, and so on. 

The team will be the development of the temperature sensor on the surface of rat lung, measured with the temperature change of respiration. The results found that, although the outside temperature (25 ℃) and temperature (37 ℃) a big gap, temperature difference of lung during inhalation and exhalation of rats was only about 0.1 ℃. Experiment shows that the animals can be accurately maintain a constant body temperature. 

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Idea of flexible thermometers use is to monitor the baby's temperature, abnormal body as early as possible; Posted in postoperative monitoring inflammation caused by heat affected area; Can also be used for measurement of sports clothes inside the body temperature, so that the development of functional sportswear and so on. Test, the thermometer used to reach nearly 2000 times in a row, the team will further reduce thickness, but increasing the number of repeated measurements, commercially available for three years. 

As the first Asian perennial university, university of flexible materials research has many achievements, such as solar armband, transparent plastic organic film with sensors, and smart diapers, and so on. 

Solar armband is composed of a piece of flexible amorphous silicon solar panels, a piezoelectric speaker, a temperature sensor and a power supply circuit. All parts are the organic material, can direct contact with the skin. The armband can be used for monitoring patients with signs. When patients too high a temperature, but also a warning. 

Organic film thickness is only 2 microns, and relatively good flexibility, flexible, can be stretching and folding, too. Even on a moist environment, also won't affect its performance. It can be fully adhesion to any part of the human body, and the existence of the wearer's almost can't feel it. Even monitoring object in activities, also won't happen displacement sensor, fall off and damaged, can steadily monitoring signs information. Verify the experimental results show that the sensor can accurately measure physical quantities (strain) and physiological signals (ecg). 

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Intelligent diapers by sensors, can let the baby diapers to detect whether the pee, through wireless communication, timely send the information to the guardian. Traditional diaper guardian need to continue to check whether a child pee or crying, if is the way electronic sensors, save the trouble. The technology can integrate sensing line on the film, each price as long as a few yen, feeling the world suddenly become beautiful. 

These studies are made by Takao Someya professor and his team. Takao professor has many characteristics, such as flexible, large area have been engaged in the development of organic components. Professor target goal is not just stick on the surface of the body, use, he says, organic devices will also be used in implantable devices.