A device and method in accordance with the invention for generating a signal indicative of a property of a subject tissue in contact with the working surface of a surgical instrument. The toy may include a breathable mesh fabric integrated as part of a multi-layer fabric structure. A cover wafer is bonded to the substrate wafer to provide a cavity between the substrate wafer and the cover wafer in which the integrated circuit is hermetically sealed. 970, and the toner composition andor the toner composition precursor has a layered inorganic material in which at least a part of interlayer ions in the layered inorganic material has been exchanged with organic ions.