Related papers: A novel dielectric elastomer actuator based on pol…
Among smart materials, piezoelectric materials occupy a very prominent position for sensing and actuation functions. Combined with simple or more advanced shunts, they are also proposed in various vibration mitigation schemes. However, the…
In this work, we propose a high-voltage, high-frequency control circuit for the untethered applications of dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs). The circuit board leverages low-voltage resistive components connected in series to control…
Next-generation touch panels are poised to benefit from the use of stretchable and transparent soft ionic conductors, but these materials face several challenges in practical application, including structural damage, loss of functionality,…
Here, we report poly(N-acryloylglycinamide-co-vinyltriazole) p(NAGA-co-VTZ) supramolecular polymer hydrogel doped with activated polypyrrole nanotubes (acPPyNTs) as a high-strength self-healable material for supercapacitors. First, the…
Active materials capable of autonomously modulating their mechanical properties are foundational to the development of next-generation soft technologies. Here, we introduce a novel class of extensible biohybrid hydrogels powered by living…
Electrostatic actuators provide a promising approach to creating soft robotic sheets, due to their flexible form factor, modular integration, and fast response speed. However, their control requires kilo-Volt signals and understanding of…
Soft parallel robots with their manipulation safety and low commercial cost show a promising future for delicate operations and safe human-robot interactions. However, promoting the use of electroactive polymers (EAPs) is still challenging…
The pressure and temperature dependency of the electrical conductivity of poly(vinyl alcohol)/poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (1/1, w/w) and poly(vinyl alcohol) and composites with dispersed nano-graphene platelets were studied. Above the critical…
Inspired by the cellular design of plant tissue, we present a new approach to make versatile, tough, highly water-swelling composites. We embed highly swelling hydrogel particles inside tough, water-permeable, elastomeric matrices. The…
Machines designed for operation in Space, as well as other extreme environments, need to be both resilient and adaptable when mission parameters change. Soft robots offer advantages in adaptability, but most lack resilience to the pressure…
Two types of high-strength composite hydrogels possessing the structure of interpenetrating polymer networks were synthesized via free-radical polymerization of acrylamide carried out straight within the matrix of plant or bacterial…
This paper presents modeling of a compliant 2D manipulator, a so called soft hydraulic/fluidic elastomer actuator. Our focus is on fiber-Reinforced Fluidic Elastomer Actuators (RFEA) driven by a constant pressure hydraulic supply and…
Electrowetting on dielectric is demonstrated with a thin spin-coated fluoropolymer over an aluminum electrode. Previous efforts to use thin spin-coated dielectric layers for electrowetting have shown limited success due to defects in the…
Phenyl-disubstituted polyacetylene (PDPA) is an organic semiconductor which has been studied during the last years for its efficient photo-luminescence. In contrast, the molecular geometry, providing the basis for the electronic and optical…
This paper presents an interaction control algorithm for a dielectric elastomer membrane actuator. The proposed method permits efficient exploitation of the controllable stiffness of the material, allowing to use the membrane as a…
Textile pneumatic actuators can provide useful wearable haptic feedback when embedded in gloves, armbands, and other smart garments. Here we investigate actuators fabricated from thermoplastic coated textiles. We measure the effects of…
Motivated by recent experiments showing over $10^4$-fold increase in induced polarization from electrochemically inert, conducting materials in dilute saline solutions, we theoretically demonstrate a new mechanism for dielectric…
Dielectric elastomers (DEs) that couple deformation and electrostatics have the potential for use in soft sensors and actuators with applications ranging from robotic, biomedical, energy, aerospace and automotive technologies. However,…
Self-assembled membranes of amphiphilic diblock copolymers enable comparisons of cohesiveness with lipid membranes over the range of hydrophobic thicknesses d=3-15 nm. At zero mechanical tension the breakdown potential V_c for polymersomes…
The use of aqueous electrolytes in energy storage devices is traditionally limited by the voltage stability window of water at 1.23 V. We present the use of a microemulsion based electrolyte which, although mostly water by mass, has a…