Illinois researchers have introduced a new cutting-edge reusable adhesive that activates in seconds, works underwater, and is strong enough to deadlift 11 pounds: shape memory polymers (SMPs).
Materials Science
Jan 28, 2019
0
62
Reversible shape change is a highly desirable property for many biomedical applications, including mechanical actuators, soft robotics and artificial muscles. Some materials can change size or shape when irradiated with light, ...
Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a new technique that takes advantage of gold nanoparticles to trigger the sequential unfolding of three-dimensional structures using different wavelengths of ...
Bio & Medicine
Jun 18, 2018
0
95
Three-dimensional printing offers unique advantages, but still faces many challenges, for fabricating small, flexible robots that can navigate through the human body and other confined spaces, according to a review in the ...
Engineering
Mar 12, 2018
0
8
Whether for separation processes, photovoltaics, catalysis, or electronics, porous polymer membranes are needed in many fields. Membranes with micropores that switch between different shapes and/or sizes would expand the ...
Polymers
Feb 6, 2018
0
24
A new study describes 3D printing of Shape Memory Polymers to produce active meta-materials that can be programmed to form versatile shapes and are then able to recover their original state when heated to above their activation ...
Engineering
Nov 2, 2017
0
3
Imagine a tiny capsule, smaller than the tip of a needle, that could be programmed to release medicine at a specific location in your body and is inexpensive, easy to make, and more effective than the traditional pharmaceuticals ...
Bio & Medicine
Oct 26, 2017
0
31
For the first time, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) researchers have successfully 3-D printed composite silicone materials that are flexible, stretchable and possess shape memory behavior, a discovery that could ...
Materials Science
Sep 14, 2017
0
25
Microbes, specifically disease-causing bacteria, can cause all sorts of havoc when they take hold on surfaces.
Cell & Microbiology
Dec 1, 2016
0
18
Artificial muscles made significant gains when a literal twist in the development approach uncovered the tensile—or stretchy—abilities of polymer fibers once they were twisted and coiled into a spring-like geometry. In ...
General Physics
Oct 31, 2016
0
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