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Microfluidic Preparation of Liquid Crystalline Elastomer Actuators
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Soft Actuators Based on Liquid-Vapor Phase Change Composites.

Xiying Li1, Huiling Duan1,2, Pengyu Lv1

  • 1State Key Laboratory for Turbulence and Complex Systems, Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, BIC-ESAT, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China.

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|June 27, 2020
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Summary

Researchers developed advanced soft composites using liquid-vapor phase change materials (PCMs) for robotics. These novel PCM-elastomer composites demonstrate enhanced deformation and high output stress, enabling complex locomotion and adaptable grabbing functions.

Keywords:
PCMs-elastomer compositesliquid–vapor phase transitionmultimodal locomotionphase change materials (PCMs)soft actuators

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Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Robotics Engineering
  • Soft Matter Physics

Background:

  • Liquid-vapor phase change materials (PCMs) offer significant volume change for actuation.
  • Limited understanding of mechanical properties hinders PCM composite design for robotics.
  • Existing soft materials lack the large deformation and high loading capacity required for advanced applications.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To fabricate and investigate PCM-elastomer composites with enhanced mechanical properties.
  • To understand the thermomechanical behavior and tunability of these composites.
  • To demonstrate the application of these composites in robotic functions.

Main Methods:

  • Fabrication of PCM-elastomer composites with varying PCM distribution and content.
  • Experimental characterization of thermomechanical properties, including deformation and output stress.
  • Theoretical investigation of the influence of induced vapor pressure on composite behavior.

Main Results:

  • PCM-elastomer composites exhibit large deformation and high output stress.
  • Induced vapor pressure enhances deformation and loading capacity.
  • Tunable deformability achieved by controlling PCM distribution and content.
  • Demonstrated complex locomotion and adaptable grabbing functions with excellent performance.

Conclusions:

  • PCM-elastomer composites represent a promising material for advanced soft robotic applications.
  • Understanding and controlling thermomechanical properties are key to unlocking their potential.
  • These materials offer a pathway to soft structures with large deformation and high loading capacity.