Related papers: Magnetic Shape Memory Polymers with Integrated Mul…
Amongst the various fascinating types of material behavior featured by magnetic gels and elastomers are magnetostrictive effects. That is, deformations in shape or changes in volume are induced from outside by external magnetic fields.…
The concept of programmable matter envisions a very large number of tiny and simple robot particles forming a smart material. Even though the particles are restricted to local communication, local movement, and simple computation, their…
Shape-morphing structures possess the ability to change their shapes from one state to another, and therefore, offer great potential for a broad range of applications. A typical paradigm of morphing is transforming from an initial…
Magnetic Soft Catheters (MSCs) are capable of miniaturization due to the use of an external magnetic field for actuation. Through careful design of the magnetic elements within the MSC and the external magnetic field, the shape along the…
Mechanical metamaterials are architected manmade materials that allow for unique behaviors not observed in nature, making them promising candidates for a wide range of applications. Existing metamaterials lack tunability as their properties…
Polymer matrix composites exhibit remarkable lightweight and high strength properties that make them attractive for aerospace applications. Constituents' materials such as advanced polymers and fibers or fillers with their hierarchical…
Magnets are key materials for the electrification of mobility and also for the generation and transformation of electric energy. Research and development in recent decades lead to high performance magnets, which require a finely tuned…
Traditional robotic mechanisms contain a series of rigid links connected by rotational joints that provide powered motion, all of which is controlled by a central processor. By contrast, analogous mechanisms found in nature, such as octopus…
This paper introduces a computational composite material comprising layers for actuation, computation and energy storage. Key to its design is inexpensive materials assembled from traditionally available fabrication machines to support the…
A composite porous polymer membrane with aligned CNTs in its matrix is developed which exhibits programmable, anisotropic actuation towards organic vapors. The alignment of CNTs in multiple directions and the gradient porous structure of…
One of the most important properties of soft functionalized magnetic composite materials in view of their technological potential is given by the magnetorheological effect. It describes the change in rheological properties such as the shear…
We create mechanical metamaterials whose response to uniaxial compression can be programmed by lateral confinement, allowing monotonic, non-monotonic and hysteretic behavior. These functionalities arise from a broken rotational symmetry…
Soft composite solids, comprising discrete inclusions embedded within a compliant matrix, are emerging candidates for engineering synthetic tissues and soft robotic materials. Current strategies for controlling their nonlinear mechanics,…
Magnetic soft robots embedded with hard magnetic particles enable untethered actuation via external magnetic fields, offering remote, rapid, and precise control, which is highly promising for biomedical applications. However, designing such…
The last decade has witnessed the emergence of magneto-active polymers (MAPs) as one of the most advanced multi-functional soft composites. Depending on the magnetisation mechanisms and responsive behaviour, MAPs are mainly classified into…
Shape-morphing metamaterials enable adaptive structures capable of complex functional deformations, with applications ranging from reconfigurable structures and soft robotics to medical devices. However, their design remains challenging due…
The concept of creating all-mechanical soft microrobotic systems has great potential to address outstanding challenges in biomedical applications, and introduce more sustainable and multifunctional products. To this end, magnetic fields and…
Hard-magnetic soft materials (HMSMs) are particulate composites that consist of a soft matrix embedded with particles of high remnant magnetic induction. Since the application of an external magnetic flux induces a body couple in HMSMs, the…
This contribution reports for the first time on fabrication and investigation of wetting properties of structured surfaces containing lamellae with an exceptionally high aspect ratio - height/width ratio demonstrated of 57:1. The lamellar…
Hybrid materials, containing a 2D filler embedded in a polymeric matrix, are an interesting platform for several applications, because of the variety of properties that the filler can impart to the polymer matrix when dispersed at the…