MARS | Versatile mass and rheological sensing platform

Summary
The MARS project will develop a platform for measuring mass at microscale and rheological properties of Newtonian/ non-Newtonian fluids in real-time, with unprecedented resolution, accuracy and reliability. This will be achieved by exploiting some unique degrees of flexibility in the dynamical response of a self-excited micromechanical probe. Depending on the desired application, this platform can be either used as a continuous sensor, a threshold sensor or a stable reference. Measuring the mass of analytes with high accuracy and understanding the rheology of simple and complex fluids play a critical role in a wide variety of applications in the ever-growing smart sensor global market.
The success of the MARS project requires:
- Advanced modelling of the dynamical response of self-excited microresonators oscillating in Newtonian or non-Newtonian fluids while subject to mass changes;
- Design, development and optimisation of the new sensing platform;
- Real case experiments for mass sensing, to assess and showcase the capabilities of each sensing modality;
- Characterisation of the properties of weakly non-Newtonian viscoelastic fluids.
This platform addresses several of the main drawbacks of current techniques to measure mass or to characterise viscoelastic fluids and presents some unique features:
i) Self-sustained oscillations that keep track of any environmental changes affecting the mechanical probe, without requiring any external equipment;
ii) Possibility of controlling a variety of sensing modalities by introducing delay in the feedback loop with a phase-shifter circuit;
iii) Capability of sensing extremely small mass (potentially single molecules) and weakly non-Newtonian fluids.
The end technical result will be a proof-of-concept prototype to demonstrate the effectiveness of the technology, and its potential to engage with external partners for further development in the direction of a viable and revolutionary commercial product.
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More information & hyperlinks
Web resources: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/842147
Start date: 01-09-2020
End date: 31-08-2022
Total budget - Public funding: 171 473,28 Euro - 171 473,00 Euro
Cordis data

Original description

The MARS project will develop a platform for measuring mass at microscale and rheological properties of Newtonian/ non-Newtonian fluids in real-time, with unprecedented resolution, accuracy and reliability. This will be achieved by exploiting some unique degrees of flexibility in the dynamical response of a self-excited micromechanical probe. Depending on the desired application, this platform can be either used as a continuous sensor, a threshold sensor or a stable reference. Measuring the mass of analytes with high accuracy and understanding the rheology of simple and complex fluids play a critical role in a wide variety of applications in the ever-growing smart sensor global market.
The success of the MARS project requires:
- Advanced modelling of the dynamical response of self-excited microresonators oscillating in Newtonian or non-Newtonian fluids while subject to mass changes;
- Design, development and optimisation of the new sensing platform;
- Real case experiments for mass sensing, to assess and showcase the capabilities of each sensing modality;
- Characterisation of the properties of weakly non-Newtonian viscoelastic fluids.
This platform addresses several of the main drawbacks of current techniques to measure mass or to characterise viscoelastic fluids and presents some unique features:
i) Self-sustained oscillations that keep track of any environmental changes affecting the mechanical probe, without requiring any external equipment;
ii) Possibility of controlling a variety of sensing modalities by introducing delay in the feedback loop with a phase-shifter circuit;
iii) Capability of sensing extremely small mass (potentially single molecules) and weakly non-Newtonian fluids.
The end technical result will be a proof-of-concept prototype to demonstrate the effectiveness of the technology, and its potential to engage with external partners for further development in the direction of a viable and revolutionary commercial product.

Status

CLOSED

Call topic

MSCA-IF-2018

Update Date

28-04-2024
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Horizon 2020
H2020-EU.1. EXCELLENT SCIENCE
H2020-EU.1.3. EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
H2020-EU.1.3.2. Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
H2020-MSCA-IF-2018
MSCA-IF-2018