Bio-Inspired Soft Robotics: Tunable Photo-Actuation Behavior of Azo Chromophore Containing Liquid Crystalline Elastomers

Shimoga, Ganesh; Choi, Dong-Soo; Kim, Sang-Youn

doi:10.3390/app11031233

Cited by 10 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 91 publications

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“…Conceptual miniature robotic designs inspired by nature have advantageous technical implications in the human-robot interaction field [100,101]. Inspired by the locomotion patterns of an inchworm, Lobontiu et al [102] and Lin et al [103] have developed piezobased and polymer-based tiny robots, respectively.…”

Section: Characteristic Properties and Features Of Nitimentioning

confidence: 99%

An Intermetallic NiTi-Based Shape Memory Coil Spring for Actuator Technologies

Shimoga

Kim

2021

Metals

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Amongst various intermetallic shape memory alloys (SMAs), nickel–titanium-based SMAs (NiTi) are known for their unique elastocaloric property. This widely used shape remembering material demonstrates excellent mechanical and electrical properties with superior corrosion resistance and super-long fatigue life. The straight-drawn wire form of NiTi has a maximum restorable strain limit of ~4%. However, a maximum linear strain of ~20% can be attained in its coil spring structure. Various material/mechanical engineers have widely exploited this superior mechanic characteristic and stress-triggered heating/cooling efficiency of NiTi to design smart engineering structures, especially in actuator technologies. This short technical note reflects the characteristics of the NiTi coil spring structure with its phase transformations and thermal transformation properties. The micro-actuators based on NiTi have been found to be possible, suggesting uses from biomedical to advanced high-tech applications. In recent years, the technical advancements in modular robotic systems involving NiTi-based SMAs have gained speculative commercial interest.

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Section: Characteristic Properties and Features Of Nitimentioning

confidence: 99%

An Intermetallic NiTi-Based Shape Memory Coil Spring for Actuator Technologies

Shimoga

Kim

2021

Metals

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“…Liquid crystalline elastomers (LCEs) are macromolecular materials showing a unique combination of a self-organized nature and entropic elasticity. , Such confluence has enabled the development of smart functional materials by means of the covalent attachment of stimuli-responsive moieties (like azobenzene derivatives) to their polymeric network. − In particular, our research group has been engaged during recent years in the design and study of force-sensing materials by introducing carbazole fluorophores into LSCEs (LCEs displaying a common orientation of the directors). These materials exhibit a quick and noticeable decrease in their fluorescent emission when they are stretched along their anisotropic direction.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Programming Positive Mechanofluorescence in Liquid Crystalline Elastomers

Güixens-Gallardo,

Brea,

Manrique

et al. 2023

ACS Appl. Polym. Mater.

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Liquid single crystal elastomers (LSCEs) containing organic fluorophores within their polymeric network are attractive materials to detect forces with simple spectroscopic measurements. Hitherto, all mechanoluminescent LSCEs decrease their emission intensity upon mechanical stimulation; that is, they display negative mechanofluorescence. Such behavior is governed by the mechanically induced approximation of the quenching mesogenic units and the fluorophores. In this work, we propose the integration of fluorescent molecular rotors (FMRs), whose luminescence is not quenched by the mesogens, in LSCEs as a valuable strategy to conceive elastomeric materials programmed with exactly the opposite behavior, i.e., their fluorescence increases upon deformation (positive mechanofluorescence). Specifically, carbazole-indolenine dyes are interesting candidates for this purpose since their luminescence depends mainly on the degree of intramolecular rotation allowed by the local environment. On this basis, the uniaxial deformation of an LSCE, along its anisotropic direction, incorporating such FMRs will place the fluorophores in a more restricted medium, leading to the desired enhanced emission at the macroscale.

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“…Compared with traditional rigid robots, soft robots feature various advantages, including better flexibility and operability, safe human-computer interaction, low collision damage, and strong adaptability to the environment, etc. In the past few years, various kinds of soft robots [12], such as the soft robot hand [13][14][15], bioinspired soft robotics [16,17], etc., have been proposed and studied, which can be used in fields such as healthcare, humanmachine interfacing, electronic, etc. Nowadays, soft robotics have come into being with amplified flexibility, strength, and rigidity to mimic biomimetic motions and perform tasks in uncertain environments [18].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Characterization of Silicone-Tungsten-Based Composites as Flexible Gamma-Ray Shields

et al. 2021

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Robots are very essential for modern nuclear power plants to monitor equipment conditions and eliminate accidents, allowing one to reduce the radiations on personnel. As a novel robot, a soft robot with the advantages of more degrees of freedom and abilities of continuously bending and twisting has been proposed and developed for applications in nuclear power industry. Considering the radiation and high-temperature environment, the overall performance improvement of the flexible materials used in the soft nuclear robot, such as the tensile property and gamma-ray shielding property, is an important issue, which should be paid attention. Here, a flexible gamma-ray shielding material silicone-W-based composites were initially doped with nano titanium oxide and prepared, with the composition of 20 silicone-(80-x) W-(x) TiO2, where x varied from 0.1 to 2.0 wt.%. Structural investigations on SEM and EDS were performed to confirm the structure of the prepared composites and prove that all the chemicals were included in the compositions. Moreover, the tensile property of the composites at 25, 100, and 150 °C were investigated to study the effect of working temperature on the flexibility of the compositions. The attenuation characteristics including the linear attenuation coefficients and mass attenuation coefficients of the prepared silicone-W or silicone-W-TiO2-based composites with respect to gamma ray were investigated. The stability of the silicone–tungsten-TiO2-based composite at high temperature was studied for the first time. In addition, the influence of nano TiO2 additive on the property’s variation of silicone-W-based composites was initially studied. The comparison of the properties such as the tensile elongation, thermal stability, and gamma-ray shielding of the synthesized silicone-W and silicone-W-TiO2 composites showed that the addition of nano TiO2 powders could be useful to develop novel gamma-ray-shielding materials for radiation protection of soft robots or other applications for which soft gamma-ray-shielding materials are needed.

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Bio-Inspired Soft Robotics: Tunable Photo-Actuation Behavior of Azo Chromophore Containing Liquid Crystalline Elastomers

Cited by 10 publications

References 91 publications

An Intermetallic NiTi-Based Shape Memory Coil Spring for Actuator Technologies

An Intermetallic NiTi-Based Shape Memory Coil Spring for Actuator Technologies

Programming Positive Mechanofluorescence in Liquid Crystalline Elastomers

The Characterization of Silicone-Tungsten-Based Composites as Flexible Gamma-Ray Shields

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