Related papers: Development of EAP-based actuators for high-freque…
This study presents the simulation, experimentation, and design considerations of a Poly(vinylidene fluoride co-trifluoroethylene)/ Polyethylene Terephthalate (PVDF-TrFe / PET), laser-cut, flexible piezoelectric energy harvester. It is…
We present experimental evidence of plasmonic-enhanced optical tweezers, of polystyrene beads in deionized water in the vicinity of metal-coated nanostructures. The optical tweezers operate with a continuous wave (CW) near-infrared laser.…
This paper presents a study on performance optimization and resonant frequency modification of terahertz detectors by the use of hyper-hemispherical silicon superstrate lenses. The detectors are patch-TeraFETs, i.e., field-effect…
Soft robotic actuators are safe and adaptable devices with inherent compliance, which makes them attractive for manipulating delicate and complex objects. Researchers have integrated stiff materials into soft actuators to increase their…
We demonstrate tunable solid state and flexible graphene field effect devices (FEDs) fabricated using a poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) and lithium fluoride (LiF) composite dielectric. Increasing the concentration of LiF in the composite…
A new light responsive arylazopyrazole (AAP) containing polymer matrix thin film is fabricated by spin-coating of different concentrations of the AAP azo dye into the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) polymer at 150C. The new AAP molecular switch…
The dipoles in ferroelectric copolymer P(VDF-TrFE) can be driven by electric field, introducing phonon transport modulations through polarizing molecular chains. The thermal conductivity in single 75/25 P(VDF-TrFE) nanofibers is found to…
We propose a model to analyze the insurgence of pull-in and wrinkling failures in electroactive thin films. We take in consideration both cases of voltage and charge control, and study the role of prestretch and size of activated regions,…
A nanofiber-based optical tweezer is demonstrated. Trapping is achieved by combining attractive near-field optical gradient forces with repulsive electrostatic forces. Silica-coated Fe$_2$O$_3$ nanospheres of 300 diameter are trapped as…
Optical beams and starlight distorted by atmospheric turbulence can be corrected with adaptive optics systems to enable efficient coupling into single-mode fibers. Deformable mirrors, used to flatten the wavefront in astronomical…
Plasmonic antennas, leveraging localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), hold significant promise for efficiently trapping nanoscale particles at low power levels. However, their effectiveness is hindered by photothermal effects in…
We report phonon renormalization induced by an external electric field E in ferroelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) [P(VDF-TrFE)] nanofibers through measuring the E-dependent thermal conductivity. Our experimental results…
Rigid robots can be precise in repetitive tasks, but struggle in unstructured environments. Nature's versatility in such environments inspires researchers to develop biomimetic robots that incorporate compliant and contracting artificial…
Hydrogel/inorganic composites have attracted attention in many applications, such as optoelectronic devices, biosensors, catalysis, and energy storage because of their capacity to increase and regulate optical and electronic features. In…
We describe a new geometry for electrostatic actuators to be used in sensitive laser interferometers. The arrangement consists of two plates at the sides of the mirror (test mass), and therefore does not reduce its clear aperture as a…
Organic printed electronics is proving its suitability for the development of wearable, lightweight, distributed applications in combination with cost-effective production processes. Nonetheless, some necessary features for several…
Different from conventional electroactive polymers, here we firstly present a new facile actuator made from aluminum alloy. The high-frequency electrically induced flapping motion was characterized under varied physical factors. This…
Dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma actuator arrays have been suggested as active flow control devices due to the robust electrohydrodynamic (EHD) force generation in variable atmospheric conditions. DBD plasma augmentation schemes…
Hydrogel-based soft actuators can operate in sensitive environments, bridging the gap of rigid machines interacting with soft matter. However, while stimuli-responsive hydrogels can undergo extreme reversible volume changes of up to ~90%,…
Functional magnetic composites capable of large deformation, load bearing, and multifunctional motion are essential for next-generation adaptive soft robots. Here, we present muscle-inspired magnetic actuators (MMA), additively manufactured…