Nanotechnology Now

Our NanoNews Digest Sponsors
Heifer International



Home > Press > Scientists develop self-tunable electro-mechano responsive elastomers

The FMHE-based compensator and its torque-time and current-time curves.

CREDIT
Image by YUN Guolin et al.
The FMHE-based compensator and its torque-time and current-time curves. CREDIT Image by YUN Guolin et al.

Abstract:
Recently, a team led by Prof. ZHANG Shiwu from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) and their collaborators from UK and Australia developed a new electro-mechano responsive elastomer that autonomously adjust stiffness, conductivity and strain sensitivity in response to changes in external mechanical loads and electrical signals. Their research was published in Science Advances.

Scientists develop self-tunable electro-mechano responsive elastomers

Hefei, China | Posted on March 3rd, 2023

Nowadays, more and more application scenarios like soft robotics and medical surgical equipment call for self-tunable intelligent materials. A widely adopted solution is composite material composed of low melting point alloy and elastic polymer. However, such material is unable to automatically respond to external changes and can only switch between conductive and insulating states.

To fill this gap, the team developed a Field’s metal-filled hybrid elastomer (FMHE) composed of nickel (Ni) microparticles, low melting point Field’s metal (FM) and polymer matrix. The multi-filler conductive network formed by spiked Ni particles and FM particles enables the conductivity of the FMHE to grow exponentially under different mechanical loads such as compression, twist and bend. When FMHE is heated to 60℃ and above, the FM particles within are melted. Melted FM droplets can’t form conductive paths like solid particles, but deforms with polymer matrix under load, which significantly reduces the elastic modulus, conductivity and strain sensitivity. Since the material’s electrical resistance decrease as it deforms, self-tunable conductivity and stiffness can be achieved by heating and applying certain pressure on FMHE.

Combining the variable resistance and stiffness properties, the research team developed a self-triggered multiaxis compliance compensator for robotic manipulators, which can compensate for positional and angular errors through its deformation, avoiding damage to equipment in complex operating environments. The team’s FMHE-based device showed greater compensation capability than that of current commercial systems (bending angle of 16.5° over 1.1°). Furthermore, the team developed a resettable current-liming fuse based on FMHE. When reaching the fusing current, the resistance of the fuse can increase 1000 times in 0.1 seconds to cut off the circuit and reset in 10 seconds.

The intelligent materials developed by the team enabled synergistic utilization of tunable electrical and mechanical properties, showing great potential in its application to the next generation soft robotics and electronic devices.

####

For more information, please click here

Contacts:
Jane Fan
University of Science and Technology of China

Copyright © University of Science and Technology of China

If you have a comment, please Contact us.

Issuers of news releases, not 7th Wave, Inc. or Nanotechnology Now, are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.

Bookmark:
Delicious Digg Newsvine Google Yahoo Reddit Magnoliacom Furl Facebook

Related Links

ARTICLE TITLE

Related News Press

News and information

Study demonstrates that Ta2NiSe5 is not an excitonic insulator international research team settles the decade-long debate around the microscopic origin of symmetry breaking in the bulk crystal May 12th, 2023

Laser direct writing of Ga2O3/liquid metal-based flexible humidity sensors May 12th, 2023

Breakthrough in the optical properties of MXenes - two-dimensional heterostructures provide new ideas May 12th, 2023

Novel design perovskite electrochemical cell for light-emission and light-detection May 12th, 2023

Possible Futures

Researchers at Purdue discover superconductive images are actually 3D and disorder-driven fractals May 12th, 2023

Laser direct writing of Ga2O3/liquid metal-based flexible humidity sensors May 12th, 2023

Breakthrough in the optical properties of MXenes - two-dimensional heterostructures provide new ideas May 12th, 2023

Novel design perovskite electrochemical cell for light-emission and light-detection May 12th, 2023

Chip Technology

Rensselaer researcher uses artificial intelligence to discover new materials for advanced computing Trevor Rhone uses AI to identify two-dimensional van der Waals magnets May 12th, 2023

With new experimental method, researchers probe spin structure in 2D materials for first time: By observing spin structure in “magic-angle” graphene, a team of scientists led by Brown University researchers have found a workaround for a long-standing roadblock in the field of two May 12th, 2023

Study demonstrates that Ta2NiSe5 is not an excitonic insulator international research team settles the decade-long debate around the microscopic origin of symmetry breaking in the bulk crystal May 12th, 2023

Laser direct writing of Ga2O3/liquid metal-based flexible humidity sensors May 12th, 2023

Discoveries

With new experimental method, researchers probe spin structure in 2D materials for first time: By observing spin structure in “magic-angle” graphene, a team of scientists led by Brown University researchers have found a workaround for a long-standing roadblock in the field of two May 12th, 2023

Study demonstrates that Ta2NiSe5 is not an excitonic insulator international research team settles the decade-long debate around the microscopic origin of symmetry breaking in the bulk crystal May 12th, 2023

Laser direct writing of Ga2O3/liquid metal-based flexible humidity sensors May 12th, 2023

Breakthrough in the optical properties of MXenes - two-dimensional heterostructures provide new ideas May 12th, 2023

Materials/Metamaterials

Nanobiotechnology: How Nanomaterials Can Solve Biological and Medical Problems April 14th, 2023

New Developments in Biosensor Technology: From Nanomaterials to Cancer Detection April 14th, 2023

Diamond cut precision: University of Illinois to develop diamond sensors for neutron experiment and quantum information science April 14th, 2023

Graphene grows – and we can see it March 24th, 2023

Announcements

Study demonstrates that Ta2NiSe5 is not an excitonic insulator international research team settles the decade-long debate around the microscopic origin of symmetry breaking in the bulk crystal May 12th, 2023

Laser direct writing of Ga2O3/liquid metal-based flexible humidity sensors May 12th, 2023

Breakthrough in the optical properties of MXenes - two-dimensional heterostructures provide new ideas May 12th, 2023

Novel design perovskite electrochemical cell for light-emission and light-detection May 12th, 2023

Interviews/Book Reviews/Essays/Reports/Podcasts/Journals/White papers/Posters

Researchers at Purdue discover superconductive images are actually 3D and disorder-driven fractals May 12th, 2023

Laser direct writing of Ga2O3/liquid metal-based flexible humidity sensors May 12th, 2023

Breakthrough in the optical properties of MXenes - two-dimensional heterostructures provide new ideas May 12th, 2023

Novel design perovskite electrochemical cell for light-emission and light-detection May 12th, 2023

NanoNews-Digest
The latest news from around the world, FREE




  Premium Products
NanoNews-Custom
Only the news you want to read!
 Learn More
NanoStrategies
Full-service, expert consulting
 Learn More











ASP
Nanotechnology Now Featured Books




NNN

The Hunger Project