Velostat, also known asLinqstat, is a packaging material made of apolymeric foil (polyolefins) impregnated withcarbon black to make it somewhatelectrically conductive. It is used for the protection of items or devices that are susceptible to damage fromelectrostatic discharge.[1] It was developed by Custom Materials, now part of3M.[2] Velostat is a U.S. registered trademark (4,964,564) of Desco Industries Inc. Desco Industries purchased the assets of the 3M Static Control business on January 2, 2015.[3]
Velostat ispiezoresistive; itsresistance changes with flexing orpressure. For instance, 25 mm2 of 0.2 mm fresh Velostat sandwiched between twoelectrodes has a resistance around 9 kΩ without any force applied, but only 1 kΩ when 3Newtons of force is applied. For material that has been used, those resistances are roughly halved.[4]
Velostat's low cost and piezoresistive properties have made it popular for making inexpensive flex orpressure sensors formicrocontrollers. One example isshoes which light up when the wearer steps. Since Velostat's resistance is reduced when pressure is applied, avoltage divider measuring that resistance can indicate when weight is applied or removed from the shoes.[5]
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