Soft Display Using Photonic Crystals on Dielectric Elastomers
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Abstract:
Soft display has been intensively studied in recent years in the wake of rapid development of a variety of soft materials. The currently existing solutions for translating the traditional hard display into the more convenient soft display mainly include light-emitting diodes, liquid crystals, quantum dots, and phosphors. The desired soft display should take the advantages of facile fabrication processes and cheap raw materials. Besides, the device should be colorful, nontoxic, and not only flexible but also stretchable. However, the foregoing devices may not own all of the desired features. Here, a new type of soft display, which consists of dielectric elastomer and photonic crystals that cover all of the features mentioned above and can achieve the color change dynamically and in situ, is reported. In addition to the above features, the angle-dependent characteristic and the excellent mechanical reliability make it a great candidate for the next generation of soft display. Finally, the vast applications of the present concept in a variety of fields are also prospected.Keywords:
Soft materials
Flexible display
Soft Robotics
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Abstract The interest in soft elastomers has been revived because they are needed in the emerging soft robotics and wearable devices. It is imperative to adjust the mechanical properties of elastomeric materials for real‐life applications as well as to develop an approach to construct more complex and customized architectures. In this study, an embedded extrusion‐based three‐dimensional (3D) printing method was used to prepare silicone elastomeric composites. Cellulose nanocrystals were introduced to tailor the rheology of the ink and serve as reinforcements after solidification. The printing paths were carefully designed to write Bouligand structures, which have been widely found in arthropod cuticles and fish scales because of their exceptional damage resistance. Compared with the pure elastomer and randomly distributed composites, the 3D‐printed elastomeric composites with bioinspired structures exhibited simultaneously enhanced stiffness, extensibility, and toughness. This strategy may be extended to the realization of other biomimetic designs and paves the way for soft material manufacturing.
Soft Robotics
Thermoplastic elastomer
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Abstract The advent of soft robotics has led to great advancements in robots, wearables, and even manufacturing processes by employing entirely soft‐bodied systems that interact safely with any random surfaces while providing great mechanical compliance. Moreover, recent developments in soft robotics involve advances in transparent soft actuators and sensors that have made it possible to construct robots that can function in a visually and mechanically unobstructed manner, assisting the operations of robots and creating more applications in various fields. In this aspect, imperceptible soft robotics that mainly consist of optically transparent imperceptible hardware components is expected to constitute a new research focus in the forthcoming era of soft robotics. Here, the recent progress regarding extended imperceptible soft robotics is provided, including imperceptible transparent soft robotics (transparent soft actuators/sensors) and imperceptible nontransparent camouflage skins. Their principles, materials selections, and working mechanisms are discussed so that key challenges and perspectives in imperceptible soft robotic systems can be explored.
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Soft robots have received an increasing attention due to their advantages of high flexibility and safety for human operators but the fabrication is a challenge. Recently, 3D printing has been used as a key technology to fabricate soft robots because of high quality and printing multiple materials at the same time. Functional soft materials are particularly well suited for soft robotics due to a wide range of stimulants and sensitive demonstration of large deformations, high motion complexities and varied multi-functionalities. This review comprises a detailed survey of 3D printing in soft robotics. The development of key 3D printing technologies and new materials along with composites for soft robotic applications is investigated. A brief summary of 3D-printed soft devices suitable for medical to industrial applications is also included. The growing research on both 3D printing and soft robotics needs a summary of the major reported studies and the authors believe that this review article serves the purpose.
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Abstract Silicone elastomers are used in a wide range of applications, including artificial muscles, biomedical devices, and soft robotics, for which chemical, thermal, and mechanical stability are important requirements that these elastomers must fulfill. However, to ensure that silicone elastomers' properties and performance remain constant under long‐term deployment, it is necessary to examine and account for the Mullins effect, which has the potential to significantly alter certain elastomer properties of interest. In this article, the mechanical properties of soft and hard commercial silicone elastomers and two blends of commercial silicone elastomers are investigated—specifically their softening behavior due to the Mullins effect. Ultimate stresses, ultimate strains, and Young's moduli are obtained from uniaxial tensile tests. Results show that the point of softening greatly depends on both the elastomer type and its strain history. Furthermore, a significant permanent set is observed in the softest commercial formulations.
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The growing demand for wearable devices, soft robotics, and tissue engineering in recent years has led to an increased effort in the field of soft materials. With the advent of personalized devices, the one-shape-fits-all manufacturing methods may soon no longer be the standard for the rapidly increasing market of soft devices. Recent findings have pushed technology and materials in the area of additive manufacturing (AM) as an alternative fabrication method for soft functional devices, taking geometrical designs and functionality to greater heights. For this reason, this review aims to highlights recent development and advances in AM processable soft materials with self-healing, shape memory, electronic, chromic or any combination of these functional properties. Furthermore, the influence of AM on the mechanical and physical properties on the functionality of these materials is expanded upon. Additionally, advances in soft devices in the fields of soft robotics, biomaterials, sensors, energy harvesters, and optoelectronics are discussed. Lastly, current challenges in AM for soft functional materials and future trends are discussed.
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Soft robotics aims to close the performance gap between built and biological machines through materials design. Soft robots are constructed from soft, actuatable materials to be physically intelligent, or to have traits that living organisms possess such as passive adaptability and morphological computation through their compliant, deformable bodies. However, materials selection for physical intelligence often involves low-performance and/or energy-inefficient, stimuli-responsive materials for actuation. Additional challenges in soft robot sensorization and control further limit the practical utility of these machines. Recognizing that electrically controllable materials are crucial for the development of soft machines that are both physically and computationally intelligent, we review progress in the development of electroprogrammable materials for soft robotic actuation. We focus on thermomechanical, electrostatic, and electrochemical actuation strategies that are directly controlled by electric currents and fields. We conclude with an outlook on the design and fabrication of next-generation robotic materials that will facilitate true bioinspired autonomy.
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