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Polymers
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Smart Polymers and Devices: From Principles, Design to Fabrications and...
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Smart Polymers and Devices: From Principles, Design to Fabrications and Applications

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Smart and Functional Polymers".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (5 August 2023) | Viewed by 9129

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Yanjie Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Hohai University, Changzhou campus, Changzhou 213022, China
Interests: advanced bionics systems and robotics; smart materials and structures; polymer-based sensors and actuators
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Junshi Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Aeronautics, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, China
Interests: smart materials and structures; deformable wings; lightweight suspension aircraft; aviation multifunctional materials; soft matter mechanics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Longfei Chang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Industry & Equipment Technology, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China
Interests: smart materials and structures; condensed matter physics; soft robotics
Prof. Dr. Qingsong He

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China
Interests: smart materials and structures; bionic intelligent actuation and robots; biological micro-nano manufacturing and systems; flexible sensing and electronic monitoring equipments
Dr. Jie Ru
*
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Key Laboratory of Green and Precise Synthetic Chemistry and Applications, Ministry of Education, Huaibei Normal University, Huaibei 235000, China
Interests: smart materials and structures; electroactive polymers; ionic polymer-metal actuator; composite electrode
* Associate Professor

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent decades, research on smart polymers has flourished, which is indicated by the continuous growth of related publications, especially in the soft sensing and actuating fields for robotics.

Soft sensors and actuators based on smart polymers gradually become an indispensable component for the design of soft devices. With the capacity of transduction, these smart polymers mainly refer to stimuli-responsive polymers, such as ionic–polymer metal composites (IPMC), dielectric elastomers (DE), hydrogels, ionic gels, conducting polymers, polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF), shape memory polymers (SMP), self-healing polymers, etc.

This Special Issue aims to focus on our understanding and development of the fabrication, design, characterization, control, and applications of sensors and actuators based on smart polymers. We hope that these contributions will provide a solid foundation for future studies. We welcome both original research papers and review articles related to the development and application of devices based on sensors and actuators involving smart polymers.

Prof. Dr. Yanjie Wang
Prof. Dr. Junshi Zhang
Prof. Dr. Longfei Chang
Prof. Dr. Qingsong He
Dr. Jie Ru
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • theories and principles of smart polymers
  • smart polymers physics and chemistry
  • design and modeling of polymer based sensors and actuators
  • control theory of devices based on smart polymers
  • new structurtes and functions of smart polymers and devices
  • fabrication and characterization of polymer based sensors and actuators
  • novel sensors and actuators based on advanced polymers and devices
  • 3D printing of smart polymers and devices
  • fabrication of polymer based sensors and actuators
  • biomimetic micro-machines based on smart polymers
  • soft robotics based on smart polymers
  • energy harvesting devices based on smart polymers
  • smart polymers in drug delivery
  • other applications of smart polymers, devices, and polymer based sensors and actuators

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 4252 KiB  
Article
Rapid Preparation of Novel Ionic Polymer–Metal Composite for Improving Humidity Sensing Effect
by Chun Zhao, Yujun Ji, Gangqiang Tang, Xin Zhao, Dong Mei, Jie Ru, Denglin Zhu and Yanjie Wang
Polymers 2023, 15(3), 733; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15030733 - 31 Jan 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1137
Abstract
Ionic polymer–metal composites (IPMCs) have attracted attention in recent years due to their integration of actuation and sensing functions. As one of the main sensing functions of IPMCs, humidity sensing has been of consistent interest in wearable health monitors and artificial skin. However, [...] Read more.
Ionic polymer–metal composites (IPMCs) have attracted attention in recent years due to their integration of actuation and sensing functions. As one of the main sensing functions of IPMCs, humidity sensing has been of consistent interest in wearable health monitors and artificial skin. However, there are still some technical challenges in that classical IPMCs have poor humidity sensing performance due to their dense surface electrode, and IPMCs are damaged easily due to an electrode/membrane mismatch. In this work, through the spraying and electrodepositing process, we developed an efficient method to rapidly prepare a Au-shell-Ag-NW (silver nanowire)-based IPMC with high strength, low surface resistance and excellent humidity sensing performance. Meanwhile, we optimized the preparation method by clarifying the influence of solvent type and electrodepositing time on the performance of the Au-shell-Ag-NW-based IPMC, thus effectively improving the humidity sensing effect and strength of the IPMC. Compared with previous research, the humidity electrical response (~9.6 mV) of the Au-shell-Ag-NW-based IPMC is at least two orders of magnitude higher than that of the classical IPMC (~0.41 mV), which is mainly attributed to the sparse gap structure for promoting the exchange of water molecules in the environment and Nafion membrane, a low surface resistance (~3.4 Ohm/sq) for transmitting the signal, and a seamless connection between the electrode and Nafion membrane for fully collecting the ion charges in the Nafion membrane. Additionally, the Au-shell-Ag-NW-based IPMC could effectively monitor the human breathing process, and the humidity sensing performance did not change after being exposed to the air for 4 weeks, which further indicates that the Au-shell-Ag-NW-based IPMC has good application potential due to its efficient preparation technology, high stability and good reproducibility. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Polymers and Devices: From Principles, Design to Fabrications and Applications)
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10 pages, 3092 KiB  
Article
In-Situ Assembly of MoS2 Nanostructures on EHD-Printed Microscale PVDF Fibrous Films for Potential Energy Storage Applications
by Bing Zhang, Shikang Li, M. Shafin. H. Qureshi, Ukil Mia, Zhenghui Ge and Aiping Song
Polymers 2022, 14(23), 5250; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14235250 - 1 Dec 2022
Viewed by 1245
Abstract
Three-dimensional (3D) printing has been widely utilized to fabricate free-standing electrodes in energy-related fields. In terms of fabrication, the two most challenging limitations of 3D printed electrodes are the poor printing resolution and simple structural dimension. Here we proposed a novel process to [...] Read more.
Three-dimensional (3D) printing has been widely utilized to fabricate free-standing electrodes in energy-related fields. In terms of fabrication, the two most challenging limitations of 3D printed electrodes are the poor printing resolution and simple structural dimension. Here we proposed a novel process to fabricate molybdenum disulfide-polyvinylidene fluoride (MoS2-PVDF) hierarchical electrodes for energy storage applications. The 20-layer microscale PVDF films with a stable fiber width of 8.3 ± 1.2 μm were fabricated by using electrohydrodynamic (EHD) printing. MoS2 nanostructures were synthesized and assembled on the microscale PVDF fibers by using hydrothermal crystal growth. The structural and material investigations were conducted to demonstrate the geometrical morphology and materials component of the composite structure. The electrochemical measurements indicated that the MoS2-PVDF electrodes exhibited the typical charge-discharge performance with a mass specific capacitance of 60.2 ± 4.5 F/g. The proposed method offers a facile and scalable approach for the fabrication of high-resolution electrodes, which might be further developed with enhanced specific capacitance in energy storage fields. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Polymers and Devices: From Principles, Design to Fabrications and Applications)
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12 pages, 5123 KiB  
Article
A Variable Stiffness Electroadhesive Gripper Based on Low Melting Point Alloys
by Chaoqun Xiang, Wenyi Li and Yisheng Guan
Polymers 2022, 14(21), 4469; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14214469 - 22 Oct 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1724
Abstract
Electroadhesive grippers can be used to pick up a wide range of materials, and those with variable stiffness functionality can increase load capacity and strength. This paper proposes an electroadhesive gripper (VSEAF) with variable stiffness function and a simple construction based on low [...] Read more.
Electroadhesive grippers can be used to pick up a wide range of materials, and those with variable stiffness functionality can increase load capacity and strength. This paper proposes an electroadhesive gripper (VSEAF) with variable stiffness function and a simple construction based on low melting point alloys (LMPAs) with active form adaptation through pneumatic driving. Resistance wires provide active changing stiffness. For a case study, a three-fingered gripper was designed with three electroadhesive fingers of varied stiffness. It is envisaged that these electroadhesive grippers with variable stiffness would extend the preparation process and boost the use of electroadhesion in soft robot applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Polymers and Devices: From Principles, Design to Fabrications and Applications)
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14 pages, 3478 KiB  
Article
Fabrication and Characterization of a Novel Smart-Polymer Actuator with Nanodispersed CNT/Pd Composite Interfacial Electrodes
by Jie Ru, Dongxu Zhao, Zicai Zhu and Yanjie Wang
Polymers 2022, 14(17), 3494; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14173494 - 26 Aug 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1963
Abstract
As emerging smart polymers, ionic polymer-metal composites (IPMCs) are playing more and more important roles as promising candidates for next-generation actuators in terms of academic interest and industrial applications. It is reported that the actuation behaviors of IPMCs are dependent on the electrochemical [...] Read more.
As emerging smart polymers, ionic polymer-metal composites (IPMCs) are playing more and more important roles as promising candidates for next-generation actuators in terms of academic interest and industrial applications. It is reported that the actuation behaviors of IPMCs are dependent on the electrochemical kinetic process between metal/polymer interfaces to a great extent. Thus, the fabrication of tailored metal/polymer interface electrodes with large surface areas and superior interface characteristics is highly desirable in improving the actuation performance of IPMCs, which is still technologically critical for IPMCs. In this contribution, we developed a novel fabrication technology for carbon/metal composite electrodes with a superior interface structure and characteristics to optimize the actuation behaviors of IPMCs by exploiting the synergistic effect of combining a sulfonated multi-walled carbon nanotube (SCNT)/Nafion hybrid layer with nanodispersed Pd particles. The improved IPMCs showed significantly enhanced capacitance characteristics and highly facilitated charge–discharge processes. Moreover, their actuation behaviors were greatly improved as expected, including approximately 2.5 times larger displacement, 3 times faster deformation speed, 4 times greater output force, and 10 times higher volume work density compared to those of the IPMCs with traditional electrode structures. The advantages of the developed SCNT/Pd-IPMCs will greatly facilitate their applicability for artificial muscles. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Polymers and Devices: From Principles, Design to Fabrications and Applications)
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11 pages, 2245 KiB  
Communication
Designing Soft Mobile Machines Enabled by Dielectric Elastomer Minimum Energy Structures
by Fan Liu, Ning An, Wenjie Sun and Jinxiong Zhou
Polymers 2022, 14(7), 1466; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14071466 - 4 Apr 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1934
Abstract
Dielectric elastomers (DE) are ideal electro-active polymers with large voltage-induced deformation for the design and realization of soft machines. Among the diversity of configurations of DE-based soft machines, dielectric elastomer minimum energy structures (DEMES) are unique due to their ease of fabrication, readiness [...] Read more.
Dielectric elastomers (DE) are ideal electro-active polymers with large voltage-induced deformation for the design and realization of soft machines. Among the diversity of configurations of DE-based soft machines, dielectric elastomer minimum energy structures (DEMES) are unique due to their ease of fabrication, readiness to extend into multiple segments, and versatility of design configurations. Despite many successful demonstrations of DEMES actuators, these DEMES devices are limited to immobile use. We report several possible implementations of soft mobile machines through the combination of DEMES design, finite element simulation, and experiment. Our designs mimic the biomimetic locomotion of inchworms and marry complex components such as ratchet wheels with soft DEMES actuators. We even elucidate that buckling of DE can be harnessed to achieve asymmetric feet, which is otherwise realized via more complicated means. The examples presented here enrich DE devices’ design and provide valuable insights into the design and fabrication of soft machines that other soft-active materials enable. All the codes and files used in this paper can be downloaded from GitHub. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Polymers and Devices: From Principles, Design to Fabrications and Applications)
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