Articles tagged with Shape Memory Polymers
Researchers at Saarland University have developed a new class of miniature actuators using ultrathin silicone film-based pumps. The pumps can operate without motors, compressed air, or lubricants and can be switched on and off as needed.
Scientists develop a new generation of energy-efficient transistors made from thin, lightweight electrically conducting films. The film-based switch can control the flow of electric current with high precision, enabling complex motion sequences or fixed positions.
Researchers develop novel dual-laser method to create adaptive, shape-locking devices. The material integrates a shape-memory polymer skeleton with magnetic microcapsules, allowing for 'writing' and 'bending' of instructions and shapes in situ.
Researchers have developed a smart hydrogel surface that can instantly recognize whether it's in contact with oil or water and switch its behavior to separate the two. The surface achieves a record-breaking separation speed of 17,750 liters per square meter per hour, three to five times faster than most current membranes.
HIT researchers created multi-material, multi-responsive, multi-shape shape memory polymer (SMP) gradient metamaterials with tunable properties. These smart materials can adapt to different tasks without extra tools or infrastructure, enabling applications such as secure information storage and soft robotic systems.
Researchers at Texas A&M University have developed a smart plastic that can self-heal and adapt to extreme conditions, making it ideal for aerospace and automotive applications. The material's unique properties allow it to restore its shape after deformation, improve vehicle safety, and reduce environmental waste.
Researchers at Pohang University of Science and Technology developed a novel dry adhesive technology using shape memory polymers, allowing for precise micro-LED chip transfer with minimal residue. The technology offers significant advantages over conventional methods, including high adhesion strength and easy release.
A new material has been developed by Virginia Tech researchers that can be recycled, reconfigured, and self-healed after damage. The material, called vitrimer circuit boards, offers a more sustainable alternative to traditional electronic composites.
Researchers have designed a thermochromic smart window that can regulate temperature, reducing energy consumption by 10-50 MJ/m2. The device offers high visible transmissivity and broadband infrared modulation, enabling all-season energy savings.
Researchers at NC State University have developed a technique to create miniature soft hydraulic actuators that can move small soft robots, allowing for exceptional control and delicacy. The actuators use shape memory polymers and microfluidic channels to control the motion and shape change of the soft robots.
Researchers from NTU Singapore have created a smart, reusable adhesive more than ten times stronger than a gecko's feet adhesion. The adhesive uses shape-memory polymers that can stick and detach easily when needed, making it ideal for robotic grippers and climbing robots.
Amanda Marciel, assistant professor at Rice University, receives a $670,406 NSF CAREER Award to develop synthetic networks with gel-like softness and high elasticity. Her research aims to create new elastomers with controlled structure-function relationships.
Researchers at NIMS and L'Oréal K.K. create a new hairstyling agent that resists humidity, using hydrogen bonding between PVA and cellulose microcrystals to maintain hair shape in high humidity conditions.
A new technology enables the printing of complex robots with soft, elastic, and rigid materials in one go. This allows for the creation of delicate structures and parts with cavities as desired.
Researchers at the University of Missouri have designed a soft and breathable material that can be worn on the skin without causing discomfort. The material, made from liquid-metal elastomer composite, has integrated antibacterial and antiviral properties to prevent the formation of harmful pathogens.
Researchers at Heidelberg University developed 3D printed microscopic octopuses with 'life-like' properties using smart polymers. These structures can be tuned on demand and have dynamic chemical bonds that allow them to grow and harden in a few hours, enabling complex micrometric structures.
Scientists at Tel Aviv University have created two-dimensional polymer microfiber networks that exhibit shape memory properties. These networks can be controlled by temperature-induced changes, allowing for morphing materials with microscale resolutions.
Researchers investigated glass fiber-reinforced epoxy-based flat laminates with pultrusion, a fast and versatile composite manufacturing process. The study found significant promise for structural applications of these 'shape memory' composites in various industries.
Researchers have developed a shape memory polymer that can store up to 17.9 J/g energy, allowing it to lift objects 5,000 times its own weight upon heating. The polymer's high energy density and low cost make it an ideal material for soft robotics, smart biomedical devices, and deployable space structures.
Stretching shape-memory polymers with clusters of gold nanoparticles alters their optical properties, enabling the tracking of thermal history. The material's shape can be recovered by measuring changes in its optical properties, making it a potential sensor for monitoring temperature and ensuring material quality.
The SUTD research team has developed a novel shape memory polymer resist for 4D printing, enabling submicron dimensions comparable to visible light wavelengths. This breakthrough allows for the exploration of new applications in nanophotonics and enables the creation of tunable photonic devices.
Researchers have developed a soft polymer material that can transform into various shapes using magnetic fields, enabling applications such as gripper arms for delicate objects and antennas with changing frequencies. The material is made from three different ingredients: two types of magnetic particles and shape-memory polymers.
Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a new method for producing highly detailed structures measuring less than 100 micrometres, enabling the creation of the world's smallest stent with shape-memory properties. The stent has shown promising initial findings and could potentially open the door to minimally invasive surgery.
Researchers at the University of Oklahoma are developing novel expandable and programmable polymers that activate at high temperatures to strengthen wellbores. These smart materials will help reduce non-drilling time and improve drilling efficiency in geothermal wells.
Researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a new reusable adhesive that activates quickly and maintains strong adhesion underwater. The shape memory polymers (SMPs) can be manipulated to transition between two states, allowing for reversible dry adhesion and enabling applications such as wet or submerged wall mounting.
A novel scaffold enables programmed deformation of 2D cell-laden structure to 3D tubular shape, facilitating facile 3D endothelialization. The study offers a new method for creating tissue-engineered vascular grafts and a potential in vitro model for screening cardiovascular drugs.
Researchers have developed a powerful new 4-D printer that can create self-assembling structures with unprecedented flexibility and speed. The printer uses multiple printing techniques to integrate materials, conductive wiring, and grayscale lighting for advanced shape changes.
Researchers developed a four-dimensional printing technology using smart shape-memory materials to create complex self-folding structures. The technology enables sequential folding and unfolding of 3-D objects in response to stimuli like temperature, moisture, or light.
Scientists at the University of Cambridge developed a method to combine multiple functions in a single material by integrating structure at the nanoscale. This approach enables the creation of multi-functional artificial muscles that can move, sense, and report on their environment.
Reversible shape-memory polymers can change shape with body temperature and switch back to their original form when cooled. This technology has potential applications in biomedical devices, such as temporary bandages or home-care products for disabled individuals.
Researchers at the University of Illinois developed a novel single-step process to create three-dimensional (3D) texturing of graphene, increasing surface area. The 3D texturing enables expanded capabilities for electronics and biomaterials, including battery and supercapacitor applications.
Researchers created a new polymer material that can switch between two shapes without reprogramming, using internal stress to remember its shape.
Researchers explore the clinical applications of shape-memory polymers, offering functionality beyond ease of deployment. Thermoresponsive and athermoresponsive SMPs can be actuated by temperature or light, enabling biodegradable implants with drug release capabilities.
Researchers create material with sections that independently respond to different temperature stimuli, enabling complex mechanical articulations. The development has numerous applications in industries such as shipping and food storage.
Researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology are developing shape-memory polymers for biomedical applications, including cardiovascular stents and neural probes. These polymers can change shape upon heating, making them attractive for implantation in the body.
Researchers at the University of Rochester developed a new class of transparent, rubbery shape-memory polymers that can be controlled to change shape in response to temperature. This material has potential applications as diverse as biomedical implants, conformal face-masks, self-sealing sutures, and smart labels.
Researchers at MIT have developed a biodegradable smart suture that can change shape in response to temperature changes, potentially solving medical implant challenges. The new material has shown promise for creating temporary shapes in confined spaces, such as those associated with minimally invasive surgery.