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Human ability to discriminate surface chemistry by touch†
Materials Horizons ( IF 13.3 ) Pub Date : 2017-11-21 00:00:00 , DOI: 10.1039/c7mh00800g
Cody W. Carpenter 1, 2, 3, 4 , Charles Dhong 1, 2, 3, 4 , Nicholas B. Root 2, 3, 4, 5 , Daniel Rodriquez 1, 2, 3, 4 , Emily E. Abdo 1, 2, 3, 4 , Kyle Skelil 1, 2, 3, 4 , Mohammad A. Alkhadra 1, 2, 3, 4 , Julian Ramírez 1, 2, 3, 4 , Vilayanur S. Ramachandran 2, 3, 4, 5 , Darren J. Lipomi 1, 2, 3, 4
Affiliation  

The sense of touch is mediated by the interaction of a soft material (i.e., skin) with the texture and chemistry of an object's surface. Previous work designed to probe the limits of tactile perception has been limited to materials with surface asperities larger than the molecular scale; such materials may also have different bulk properties. We demonstrate in a series of psychophysical experiments that humans can discriminate surfaces that differ by only a single layer of molecules, and can “read” patterns of hydrophobicity in the form of characters in the ASCII alphabet. We design an apparatus that mimics free exploration of surfaces by humans and corroborate the experimental results with a theoretical model of friction that predicts the velocities and pressures that permit discrimination. These results demonstrate that forces produced, while sliding a finger along surfaces, interact with the mechanoreceptors of the skin to allow the brain to discriminate surfaces that differ only by surface chemistry. While we used intentionally simple surface modifications in this study (silanized vs. oxidized silicon), these experiments establish a precedent for using the techniques of materials chemistry in psychology. They also open the door for the use of more sophisticated, molecularly engineered, materials in the future.

中文翻译:

人类通过触摸辨别表面化学的能力

触觉是由软质材料的相互作用介导(,皮肤),以及对象表面的纹理和化学性质。旨在探究触觉感知极限的先前工作仅限于表面粗糙度大于分子尺度的材料。这样的材料也可以具有不同的体积特性。我们在一系列的心理物理实验中证明,人类可以区分仅由单分子层构成的表面,并且可以以ASCII字母中的字符形式“读取”疏水性图案。我们设计了一种模仿人类自由探索表面的装置,并通过摩擦理论模型来证实实验结果,该摩擦模型预测了可以区分的速度和压力。这些结果表明,在手指沿表面滑动时产生的力,与皮肤的机械感受器相互作用,使大脑能够辨别仅表面化学性质不同的表面。虽然我们在这项研究中故意使用了简单的表面修饰(硅烷化氧化硅相比),这些实验为在心理学中使用材料化学技术开创了先例。它们也为将来使用更复杂的分子工程材料打开了大门。
更新日期:2017-11-21
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