Stimulus-Driven Liquid Metal and Liquid Crystal Network Actuators for Programmable Soft Robotics

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pengfei Lv ◽  
Xiao Yang ◽  
Hari Krishna Bisoyi ◽  
Hao Zeng ◽  
Xuan Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Crystal ◽  
Liquid Metal ◽  
Soft Matter ◽  
Soft Robotics ◽  
Soft Robots ◽  
Crystal Network ◽  
Flexible Electronic

Sophisticated soft matter engineering has been endorsed as an emerging paradigm for developing untethered soft robots with built-in electronic functions and biomimetic adaptation capacities. However, the integration of flexible electronic...

Thermomechanically active electrodes power work-dense soft actuators

Soft Matter ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angel Martinez ◽  
Arul Clement ◽  
Junfeng Gao ◽  
Julia Kocherzat ◽  
Mohsen Tabrizi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Crystal ◽  
Liquid Metal ◽  
Chain Extender ◽  
Design Work ◽  
Liquid Crystal Elastomers ◽  
Soft Actuators ◽  
Dense Liquid

The effect of chain extender structure and composition on the properties of liquid crystal elastomers (LCE) is presented. Compositions are optimized to design work-dense liquid metal LCE composites that are operated with 100 mW power.

scholarly journals A Soft Resistive Sensor with a Semicircular Cross-Sectional Channel for Soft Cardiac Catheter Ablation

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (12) ◽  
pp. 4130
Author(s):  
Eric Rasmussen ◽  
Daniel Guo ◽  
Vybhav Murthy ◽  
Rachit Mishra ◽  
Cameron Riviere ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Catheter Ablation ◽  
Liquid Metal ◽  
Force Feedback ◽  
Applied Force ◽  
Medical Community ◽  
Soft Robotics ◽  
Soft Sensors ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Cardiac Catheter ◽  
Specific Loading

The field of soft robotics has attracted the interest of the medical community due to the ability of soft elastic materials to traverse the abnormal environment of the human body. However, sensing in soft robotics has been challenging due to the sensitivity of soft sensors to various loading conditions and the nonlinear signal responses that can arise under extreme loads. Ideally, soft sensors should provide a linear response under a specific loading condition and provide a different response for other loading directions. With these specifications in mind, our team created a soft elastomeric sensor designed to provide force feedback during cardiac catheter ablation surgery. Analytical and computational methods were explored to define a relationship between resistance and applied force for a semicircular, liquid metal filled channel in the soft elastomeric sensor. Pouillet’s Law is utilized to calculate the resistance based on the change in cross-sectional area resulting from various applied pressures. FEA simulations were created to simulate the deformation of the sensor under various loads. To confirm the validity of these simulations, the elastomer was modeled as a neo-Hookean material and the liquid metal was modeled as an incompressible fluid with negligible shear modulus under uniaxial compression. Results show a linearly proportional relationship between the resistance of the sensor and the application of a uniaxial force. Altering the direction of applied force results in a quadratic relationship between total resistance and the magnitude of force.

scholarly journals Photo‐responsive helical motion by light‐driven molecular motors in a liquid crystal network

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiaxin Hou ◽  
Anirban Mondal ◽  
Guiying Long ◽  
Laurens de Haan ◽  
Wei Zhao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Crystal ◽  
Molecular Motors ◽  
Helical Motion ◽  
Crystal Network

Ultralong cycling and wide temperature range of lithium metal batteries enabled by solid polymer electrolytes interpenetrated with a poly(liquid crystal) network

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meng Yao ◽  
Haitao Zhang ◽  
Kun Dong ◽  
Bosen Li ◽  
Chunxian Xing ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Crystal ◽  
Wide Temperature Range ◽  
Polymer Electrolytes ◽  
Solid Polymer Electrolytes ◽  
Solid Polymer ◽  
Lithium Metal ◽  
Lithium Ions ◽  
Lithium Metal Batteries ◽  
Crystal Network

With the in situ polymerization of liquid crystal (LC), more free lithium ions are released, which enhances the performance of P-PLC-IL.

A real time optical strain sensor based on a cholesteric liquid crystal network

RSC Advances ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (41) ◽  
pp. 18794 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olivier T. Picot ◽  
Mian Dai ◽  
Emiliano Billoti ◽  
Dirk J. Broer ◽  
Ton Peijs ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Crystal ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Cholesteric Liquid Crystal ◽  
Strain Sensor ◽  
Crystal Network ◽  
Optical Strain

scholarly journals O Futuro de Soft Robotics: Uma Revisão Bibliográfica

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paulo Dos Santos ◽  
Guilherme Da Silva ◽  
Juliana Silva
Keyword(s):  
Soft Robotics ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
Soft Robots ◽  
Medical Area ◽  
The Future

This study seeks to explain a new theme that has a potential of great impact in the future. Soft robots are robots that, because they are soft and not limited by their axes, can go beyond how rigid robots work. The objective of this study is to present a review of the literature on soft robots. The literature shows little research on these robots, presenting difficulties mainly in the research of sensors and materials to be used in their construction. Despite the difficulties, the increase of research with this approach will have great impacts, mainly in the medical area.

scholarly journals Stable and Oriented Liquid Crystal Droplets Stabilized by Imidazolium Ionic Liquids

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (19) ◽  
pp. 6044
Author(s):  
Efthymia Ramou ◽  
Guilherme Rebordão ◽  
Susana I. C. J. Palma ◽  
Ana C. A. Roque
Keyword(s):  
Ionic Liquids ◽  
Liquid Crystal ◽  
Soft Matter ◽  
Sodium Dodecyl ◽  
High Yield ◽  
Molecular Features ◽  
Surface Active ◽  
State Of Matter ◽  
First Time ◽  
Sds Surfactant

Liquid crystals represent a fascinating intermediate state of matter, with dynamic yet organized molecular features and untapped opportunities in sensing. Several works report the use of liquid crystal droplets formed by microfluidics and stabilized by surfactants such as sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). In this work, we explore, for the first time, the potential of surface-active ionic liquids of the imidazolium family as surfactants to generate in high yield, stable and oriented liquid crystal droplets. Our results show that [C12MIM][Cl], in particular, yields stable, uniform and monodisperse droplets (diameter 74 ± 6 µm; PDI = 8%) with the liquid crystal in a radial configuration, even when compared with the standard SDS surfactant. These findings reveal an additional application for ionic liquids in the field of soft matter.

What makes a liquid crystal? The effect of free volume on soft matter

2015 ◽  
Vol 42 (5) ◽  
pp. 593-622 ◽  
Author(s):  
Goodby ◽  
Mandle ◽  
Davis ◽  
Zhong ◽  
Cowling
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Crystal ◽  
Free Volume ◽  
Soft Matter
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document