A multi degree of freedom IPA catheter with controllable bending ability (from micrometer to millimeter level) under a low voltage (∼1.0 V) was developed for minimally invasive medical diagnosis and therapy
A novel ionic polymer actuator (IPA) is developed by Prof. Chen
Prof. Wei Chen, Professor of ITC, and his colleagues recently published an article titled “Flexible stimuli-responsive materials for smart personal protective equipment” on flexible actuators in Materials Science and Engineering: R: Reports, a journal with a very high impact factor.
Flexible actuators are light-mass, flexible, and easy to manufacture. They have been recognised worldwide as key technology for soft robots, biomedical devices and smart wearables. For example, wearable devices that offer a performance similar to that of skeletal muscles, can be worn directly by injured individuals or the disabled for home rehabilitation or care purposes. Additionally, flexible haptic actuators can facilitate feeling of an object in a remote place or allow a virtual world object to feel more real.
In “Flexible stimuli-responsive materials for smart personal protective equipment”, Prof. Chen and his colleagues discuss how these flexible materials are deformable, stretchable, light-weight, and desirable for smart personal protective equipment (PPE), and as the primarily functional components in the wearable system which spontaneously responds to surrounding variations. These materials enable traditional PPE that provide passive protection to be smart with the ability to sense, actuate, change in surface and self-heal, thus enhancing protection and reducing unintentional occupation injuries. The article presents a critical review of the structure, properties, fundamental mechanisms and current development of flexible stimuli-responsive materials and their potential/present applications to smart PPE, covering strain, pressure, temperature, and gas sensors, biopotential electrodes, exosystems, switchable wetting surfaces and biosafety masks. Scientific and practical challenges along with critical issues and opportunities are also discussed.
In terms of smart fashion design, the application of flexible actuators can increase the dynamics and attractiveness of fashion products while accommodating the body shape. Therefore, flexible actuation technology can have a substantial impact on smart wearables and smart living, and subsequently produce more interesting and useful applications.
Studies in the bionic field have been greatly challenged by the desire to attain an actuation level like biological muscles. Therefore, it is important to develop new actuation materials at the nanoscale or molecular level and develop new device structures in the configuration of fibres or fabric, with the aim to instil ground-breaking progress in muscle-like actuators and promote innovative technology in the long term.
Materials Science & Engineering R publishes papers that cover a full spectrum of materials science and engineering with a high impact factor of 36.214, ranking it third out of 160 in Physics, Applied Science. Research by Prof. Chen and his students and colleagues on flexible actuators has also been published in other journals, including Progress in Polymer Science in 2020 (IF: 24.505); Advanced Intelligent Systems in 2020; Nature Communications in 2015 and 2018 (IF: 14.919), and Advanced Materials, multiple years from 2010 to 2016 (IF: 30.849).
Li-sha Zhang, Jun Li, Fei Wang, Ji-dong Shi, Wei Chen, Xiao-ming Tao. (2021). Flexible stimuli-responsive materials for smart personal protective equipment, Materials Science and Engineering: R: Reports (146) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mser.2021.10062.
