Piezoresistive ceramic composites for force or pressure sensor

To create a material which has both the structural strength and the piezoresistivity, ceramic/ceramic composites which consist of high strength ceramics, partial stabilized zirconia, and piezoresistive ceramics, La 0.8 Sr 0.2 MnO 3 , have been investigated. Dense composites were obtained utilizing a conventional procedure. The composites exhibited both high strength of around 500MPa and a piezoresistivity coefficient which is sufficient for use in a load sensor. The developed composites can be used as the bulk-type load sensor and will lead to miniaturizing of the load sensors and the flexible sensor design.