Personal projects / Sensors & electronics
Gold-leaf infrared sensor
An experimental sensor using an absorbing coating on thin gold leaf to explore small resistance changes from heating.
Open the numbered review →Sensor samples
Photos 156–158
An attempt to make a bolometer—a sensor that detects heating through a change in electrical resistance. I applied gold leaf to a wooden support, blackened it with soot to absorb light, and used a laser cutter to form a winding conductive pattern. The intended signal was the resistance change as absorbed light warmed the thin gold.
Another angle on the experimental gold-leaf sensor. The blackened surface was intended to absorb incoming radiation, while the patterned gold provided the electrical path whose resistance I wanted to monitor.
Plain gold leaf alongside blackened and patterned test pieces. I saw a limited response and thought better thermal isolation from the wooden support might improve it. Suspending the gold leaf above the base was an idea to explore, but its fragility made that difficult. The sensor remained an early experiment.