Related papers: Kombucha electronics
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,…
Manipulation of thin sheets by folding and cutting offers opportunity to engineer structures with novel mechanical properties, and to prescribe complex force-displacement relationships via material elasticity in combination with the…
We describe opportunities and challenges with wireless robotic materials. Robotic materials are multi-functional composites that tightly integrate sensing, actuation, computation and communication to create smart composites that can sense…
Microelectromagnet devices, a ring trap and a matrix, were developed for the microscopic control of biological systems. The ring trap is a circular Au wire with an insulator on top. The matrix has two arrays of straight Au wires, one array…
Dynamical aspects of coupled deformable gears are investigated to clarify the differences of mechanical properties between the machines consist of hard materials and those of soft materials. In particular, the performances of two functions,…
Natural systems integrate the work of many sub-units (cells) toward a large-scale unified goal (morphological and behavioral), which can counteract the effects of unexpected experiences, damage, or simply changes in tasks demands. In this…
Food production needs to increase significantly in 30 years, and water loss from plants may hold one key, especially relevant in a time of climate change. The plant leaf cuticle is the final defence of leaves in drought and at night, and so…
Traditional solid-state lighting relies on color converters with a serious environmental footprint. As an alternative, natural materials such as plant extracts could be employed if their low quantum yield (QYs) in liquid and solid states…
Active matter comprises self-driven units, such as bacteria and synthetic microswimmers, that can spontaneously form complex patterns and assemble into functional microdevices. These processes are possible thanks to the out-of-equilibrium…
Humanoids exhibit a wide variety in terms of joint configuration, actuators, and degrees of freedom, resulting in different achievable movements and tasks for each type. Particularly, musculoskeletal humanoids are developed to closely…
Nanofibrillated cellulose, a polymer that can be obtained from one of the most abundant biopolymers in Nature, is being increasingly explored due to its outstanding properties for packaging and device applications. Still, open challenges in…
While most insect-inspired robots come with a simple tarsus such as a hemispherical foot tip, insect legs have complex tarsal structures and claws, which enable them to walk on complex terrain. Their sharp claws can smoothly attach and…
Interactions between active individuals in animal collectives lead to emergent responses that remain elusive in synthetic soft matter. Here, shape-morphing polymers are used to create bio-inspired transient solids that self-assemble with…
Natural decomposition of organic matter is essential in food systems, and compost is used worldwide as an organic fermented fertilizer. However, as a feature of the ecosystem, its effects on the animals are poorly understood. Here we show…
Although electrostatic microgenerators (ESMGs) have promised for nearly two decades extensive applications in wireless, self-powered microscale devices and sensors for security, personal health systems, communication, infrastructure and…
Metamaterials offer a powerful way to manipulate a variety of physical fields ranging from wave fields (electromagnetic field, acoustic field, elastic wave, etc.), static fields (static magnetic field, static electric field) to diffusive…
Most polymers are long-lasting and produced from monomers derived from fossil fuel sources. Bio-based and/or biodegradable plastics have been proposed as a sustainable alternative. Amongst those available, polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) shows…
In equilibrium, the physical properties of matter are set by the interactions between the constituents. In contrast, the energy input of the individual components controls the behavior of synthetic or living active matter. Great progress…
High-performance, environmentally-friendly biodegradable packaging as substitutes for conventional plastics becomes severe demand to nowadays economy and society. As an aliphatic aromatic copolyester PBAT is recognized as the preferred…
Soft stretchable materials are key for arising technologies such as stretchable electronics or batteries, smart textiles, biomedical devices, tissue engineering and soft robotics. Recent attempts to design such materials, via e.g.…