Smart Materials-Based Actuators

A special issue of Actuators (ISSN 2076-0825).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2019) | Viewed by 29784

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Wayne State University, 42 W Warren Ave, Detroit, MI 48202, USA
Interests: advanced functional nanomaterials; high-temperature microbatteries and supercapacitors; Li-S & Li-O2 chemistries; fuel cells
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Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48202, USA
Interests: microfabrication; nanomaterials; MEMS/NEMS; batteries; sensors and actuators
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The use of smart materials in actuators are emerging technology in medical, aeronautical, optical, and precision manufacturing domain because of durability, high performance, low cost, and easy integration with electronics. Smart materials I.Q. measure in terms of their responsiveness and agility with respective input stimuli, that embraces response time and magnitude change of material. Therefore, development of smart material-based actuators which can operate without external sensors and monitor unit is the key of today’s smart technology.

This Special issue is intended to address all aspect of “Smart Material-Based Actuators” research and development. This issue will provide an opportunity for leading researcher to submit their contribution, share the past, present and future directions of smart material actuators, and discuss their recent outcomes. In this Special Issue, both theoretical and experimental works in the domain of smart material characterization, fabrication and application are welcomed. Contribution from private sector and industries are encouraged to share their ideas and results of smart material actuators.

Dr. Leela Mohana Reddy Arava
Mr. Nirul Masurkar
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. Actuators is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2400 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

  • Smart material based actuators
  • Piezoelectric and Piezoresistive materials
  • Shape memory alloys and polymers
  • Electroactive and Electrochemical actuators
  • Magnetostrictive Materials
  • Magneto/Electrorheological fluids
  • Nanomaterial-based actuators
  • Fabrication of MEMS/NEMS actuators
  • Theoretical studies of actuators

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 2532 KiB  
Article
Enhancement of Biodegradable Poly(Ethylene Oxide) Ionic–Polymer Metallic Composite Actuators with Nanocrystalline Cellulose Fillers
by Patrick S. Bass, Lin Zhang, Maobing Tu and ZhongYang Cheng
Actuators 2018, 7(4), 72; https://doi.org/10.3390/act7040072 - 17 Oct 2018
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 5615
Abstract
Biodegradable ionic polymer metallic composite (IPMC) electroactive polymers (EAPs) were fabricated using poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) with various concentrations of lithium perchlorate. Nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) rods created from a sulfuric acid hydrolysis process were added at various concentrations to increase the EAPs’ elastic modulus [...] Read more.
Biodegradable ionic polymer metallic composite (IPMC) electroactive polymers (EAPs) were fabricated using poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) with various concentrations of lithium perchlorate. Nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) rods created from a sulfuric acid hydrolysis process were added at various concentrations to increase the EAPs’ elastic modulus and improve their electromechanical properties. The electromechanical actuation was studied. PEONCC composites were created from combining a 35-mg/mL aqueous NCC suspension with an aqueous, PEO solution at varying vol.%. Due to an imparted space charge from the hydrolysis process, composites with an added 1.5 vol.% of NCC suspension exhibited an electromechanical tip displacement, strain, and elastic modulus that was 40.7%, 33.4% and 20.1% higher, respectively, than those for PEO IPMCs without NCC. This performance represented an increase of 300% in the energy density of these samples. However, the electromechanical response decreased when the NCC content was high. NCC without the space charge were also tested to verify the analysis. Additionally, the development of new relationships for modeling and evaluating the time-dependent instantaneous tip angular velocity and acceleration was discussed and applied to these IPMCs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Materials-Based Actuators)
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Review

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13 pages, 11373 KiB  
Review
Carbon Nanostructures for Actuators: An Overview of Recent Developments
by Mauro Giorcelli and Mattia Bartoli
Actuators 2019, 8(2), 46; https://doi.org/10.3390/act8020046 - 2 Jun 2019
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 7225
Abstract
In recent decades, micro and nanoscale technologies have become cutting-edge frontiers in material science and device developments. This worldwide trend has induced further improvements in actuator production with enhanced performance. A main role has been played by nanostructured carbon-based materials, i.e., carbon nanotubes [...] Read more.
In recent decades, micro and nanoscale technologies have become cutting-edge frontiers in material science and device developments. This worldwide trend has induced further improvements in actuator production with enhanced performance. A main role has been played by nanostructured carbon-based materials, i.e., carbon nanotubes and graphene, due to their intrinsic properties and easy functionalization. Moreover, the nanoscale decoration of these materials has led to the design of doped and decorated carbon-based devices effectively used as actuators incorporating metals and metal-based structures. This review provides an overview and discussion of the overall process for producing AC actuators using nanostructured, doped, and decorated carbon materials. It highlights the differences and common aspects that make carbon materials one of the most promising resources in the field of actuators. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Materials-Based Actuators)
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30 pages, 4306 KiB  
Review
Review of Modeling and Control of Magnetostrictive Actuators
by Valerio Apicella, Carmine Stefano Clemente, Daniele Davino, Damiano Leone and Ciro Visone
Actuators 2019, 8(2), 45; https://doi.org/10.3390/act8020045 - 29 May 2019
Cited by 74 | Viewed by 15081
Abstract
Magnetostrictive actuators play an important role in the perception of usefulness of smart materials and devices. Their applications are potentially wider than that of piezoelectric actuators because of the higher energy density and intrinsic robustness. However, the non-negligible hysteresis and complexity of their [...] Read more.
Magnetostrictive actuators play an important role in the perception of usefulness of smart materials and devices. Their applications are potentially wider than that of piezoelectric actuators because of the higher energy density and intrinsic robustness. However, the non-negligible hysteresis and complexity of their characteristics make the design and control quite difficult and has limited their diffusion in industrial applications. Nevertheless, the scientific literature presents a wide offer of results in design and geometries, modeling and control that may be exploited for applications. This paper gives a reasoned review of the main results achieved in the literature about design, modeling and control of magnetostrictive actuators exploiting the direct effects of magnetostriction (Joule and Wiedemann). Some perspectives and challenges about magnetostrictive actuators development are also gathered. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Materials-Based Actuators)
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