Piezoelectric effects in boron nitride nanotubes predicted by the atomistic finite element method and molecular mechanics

Tolladay, Mat; Ivanov, Dmitry; Allan, Neil L.; Scarpa, Fabrizio

doi:10.1088/1361-6528/aa765b

Cited by 13 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…[ 6 ] Of particular interest are BNNTs’ piezoelectric properties, [ 7 ] arising from polarization due to the electronegativity difference between boron and nitrogen atoms, which is predicted to result in the generation of a coupled electric dipole in response to deformation. [ 8 ] With the advent of techniques to produce large volumes of BNNTs such as the high temperature pressure (HTP) method, [ 9,10 ] interest has shifted to production of ensembles of BNNTs which translate the nanoscale properties of BNNTs to macroscale systems.…”

Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

Tunable Piezoelectricity of Multifunctional Boron Nitride Nanotube/Poly(dimethylsiloxane) Stretchable Composites

et al. 2020

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Multifunctional piezoelectric materials with controllable mechanical and thermal properties could enable the next generation of soft interconnect materials, energy harvesters, and health monitors. [1] Boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) possess unique properties that have piqued the interest of the broader research community as the basis for these multifunctional materials. [2] BNNTs exhibit high mechanical strength, possessing a Young's modulus (Y) as high as 1.3 TPa [3] which outperforms most structural materials. BNNTs also show enhanced thermal properties including extreme thermal stability in air (>800 °C) [4] and thermal conductivity competitive with carbon nanotubes (CNT) [5] which, when combined with their electrically insulating nature, may enable the development of novel thermally conductive, electrically insulating materials. [6] Of particular interest are BNNTs' piezoelectric properties, [7] arising from polarization due to the electronegativity difference between boron and nitrogen atoms, which is predicted to result in the generation of a coupled electric dipole in response to deformation. [8] With the advent of techniques to produce large volumes of BNNTs such as the high temperature pressure (HTP) method, [9,10] interest has shifted to production of ensembles of BNNTs which translate the nanoscale properties of BNNTs to macroscale systems. The most widely employed technique to produce functional structures of BNNTs is suspension in a matrix material to form a functional composite. For instance, the dispersion of BNNTs in soft polymers has been shown to augment mechanical properties, nearly doubling the compressive modulus of polyurethane. [11] Similarly, BNNTs can be added to thermally insulating materials to enhance thermal conductivity, with addition of BNNTs to polymer-derived ceramic (PDC) enhancing thermal conductivity by 2100%. [12] Most saliently, BNNT/polymer composites represent the first realization of BNNT piezoelectricity at the macroscale. Polyimide composites containing strainaligned BNNTs demonstrate piezoelectric coefficients up to 4.81 pm V −1 , [13] and nanoporous BNNT thin films are predicted to possess piezoelectric responses competitive with commercial piezoelectric polymers. [14] Of particular interest are stretchable BNNT composites which are optimal for use as flexible thermal interconnects [15] and platforms for strain aligning nanotubes [16] Boron nitride nanotubes (BNNT) uniformly dispersed in stretchable materials, such as poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS), could create the next generation of composites with augmented mechanical, thermal, and piezoelectric characteristics. This work reports tunable piezoelectricity of multifunctional BNNT/PDMS stretchable composites prepared via co-solvent blending with tetrahydrofuran (THF) to disperse BNNTs in PDMS while avoiding sonication or functionalization. The resultant stretchable BNNT/PDMS composites demonstrate augmented Young's modulus (200% increase at 9 wt% BNNT) and thermal conductivity (120% increase at 9 wt% BNNT) without losin...

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Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

Tunable Piezoelectricity of Multifunctional Boron Nitride Nanotube/Poly(dimethylsiloxane) Stretchable Composites

et al. 2020

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“…The nature of the piezoelectricity of single-walled BNNTs has been demonstrated experimentally, although it is not completely understood (Tiano et al 2014). Numerical and molecular mechanics simulations, however, have been able to approximate the resultant dipolar vector in single-walled nanotubes after an applied stress (Tolladay et al 2017; Tiano et al 2014), while others have found theoretical piezoelectric response values higher than those of piezoelectric polymers (Dai et al 2009). Likewise, multi-walled BNNTs have also shown experimental signs of piezoelectricity (Bai et al 2007).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improved performance of biohybrid muscle-based bio-bots doped with piezoelectric boron nitride nanotubes

Mestre

Fuentes

Lefaix

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Biohybrid robots, or bio-bots, integrate living and synthetic materials following a synergistic strategy to acquire some of the unique properties of biological organisms, like adaptability or bio-sensing, which are difficult to obtain exclusively using artificial materials. Skeletal muscle is one of the preferred candidates to power bio-bots, enabling a wide variety of movements from walking to swimming. Conductive nanocomposites, like gold nanoparticles or graphene, can provide benefits to muscle cells by improving the scaffolds' mechanical and conductive properties. Here, we integrate boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs), with piezoelectric properties, in muscle-based bio-bots and demonstrate an improvement in their force output and motion speed. We provide a full characterization of the BNNTs, and we confirm their piezoelectric behavior with piezometer and dynamometer measurements. We hypothesize that the improved performance is a result of an electric field generated by the nanocomposites due to stresses produced by the cells during differentiation, which in turns improves their maturation. We back this hypothesis with finite element simulations supporting that this stress can generate a non-zero electric field within the matrix. With this work, we show that the integration of nanocomposite into muscle-based bio-bots can improve their performance, paving the way towards stronger and faster bio-hybrid robots.

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“…[52,64] The nature of the piezoelectricity of single-walled BNNTs has been demonstrated experimentally, although it is not completely understood. [52] Numerical and molecular mechanics simulations, however, have been able to approximate the resultant dipolar vector in single-walled nanotubes after an applied stress, [52,65] while others have found theoretical piezoelectric response values higher than those of piezoelectric polymers. [66] Likewise, multiwalled BNNTs have also shown experimental signs of piezoelectricity.…”

Section: Characterization Of Bnntsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improved Performance of Biohybrid Muscle‐Based Bio‐Bots Doped with Piezoelectric Boron Nitride Nanotubes

Mestre

Fuentes

Lefaix

et al. 2022

Adv Materials Technologies

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their materials, such as compliance, flexibility, and overall safety for human interaction. Commonly, the rigidity and stiffness of conventional materials in robotics limit their applications into certain healthcare or biomedical disciplines. [1][2][3] Recent developments in material science have made possible the fabrication of biomimetic soft robots that are able to perform some simple types of actuation [4] including crawling, [5] gripping, [6] or change its shape, [7] but they are still far from the degree of complexity and movement sophistication in living organisms.One of the most investigated applications of soft robotics is the development of artificial muscles that can mimic the performance of native muscle tissue in mammals. Muscle tissue is inherently complex, being simultaneously strong and fast while enabling a wide variety of movements through an efficient self-organization of its fiber bundles. However, current materials still lack the ability to fully replicate these properties. [8] Even more, other features from biological tissues, such as self-healing, energy efficiency, power-to-weight ratio, adaptability or bio-sensing, to name only a few, are strongly desired but difficult to achieve with artificial soft materials. [9] Bio-hybrid robotics is born at this point as a synergistic strategy to integrate the best characteristics of biological entities and artificial materials into more efficient and complex systems, hoping to overcome the difficulties that current soft robots face. Several strategies to unify the development of bio-hybrid devices have Biohybrid robots, or bio-bots, integrate living and synthetic materials following a synergistic strategy to acquire some of the unique properties of biological organisms, like adaptability or bio-sensing, which are difficult to obtain exclusively using artificial materials. Skeletal muscle is one of the preferred candidates to power bio-bots, enabling a wide variety of movements from walking to swimming. Conductive nanocomposites, like gold nanoparticles or graphene, can provide benefits to muscle cells by improving the scaffolds' mechanical and conductive properties. Here, boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs), with piezoelectric properties, are integrated in musclebased bio-bots and an improvement in their force output and motion speed is demonstrated. A full characterization of the BNNTs is provided, and their piezoelectric behavior with piezometer and dynamometer measurements is confirmed. It is hypothesized that the improved performance is a result of an electric field generated by the nanocomposites due to stresses produced by the cells during differentiation. This hypothesis is backed with finite element simulations supporting that this stress can generate a non-zero electric field within the matrix. With this work, it is shown that the integration of nanocomposite into muscle-based bio-bots can improve their performance, paving the way toward stronger and faster bio-hybrid robots.

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Piezoelectric effects in boron nitride nanotubes predicted by the atomistic finite element method and molecular mechanics

Cited by 13 publications

References 42 publications

Tunable Piezoelectricity of Multifunctional Boron Nitride Nanotube/Poly(dimethylsiloxane) Stretchable Composites

Tunable Piezoelectricity of Multifunctional Boron Nitride Nanotube/Poly(dimethylsiloxane) Stretchable Composites

Improved performance of biohybrid muscle-based bio-bots doped with piezoelectric boron nitride nanotubes

Improved Performance of Biohybrid Muscle‐Based Bio‐Bots Doped with Piezoelectric Boron Nitride Nanotubes

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