Triply Periodic Channels Enable Soft Pneumatic Linear Actuator with Single Material and Scalability

Author(s):  
Feifei Chen ◽  
Yunpeng Miao ◽  
Lei Zhang ◽  
Shitong Chen ◽  
Xiangyang Zhu
Author(s):  
David M. Anderson ◽  
Tomas Landh

First discovered in surfactant-water liquid crystalline systems, so-called ‘bicontinuous cubic phases’ have the property that hydropnilic and lipophilic microdomains form interpenetrating networks conforming to cubic lattices on the scale of nanometers. Later these same structures were found in star diblock copolymers, where the simultaneous continuity of elastomeric and glassy domains gives rise to unique physical properties. Today it is well-established that the symmetry and topology of such a morphology are accurately described by one of several triply-periodic minimal surfaces, and that the interface between hydrophilic and hydrophobic, or immiscible polymer, domains is described by a triply-periodic surface of constant, nonzero mean curvature. One example of such a dividing surface is shown in figure 5.The study of these structures has become of increasing importance in the past five years for two reasons:1)Bicontinuous cubic phase liquid crystals are now being polymerized to create microporous materials with monodispersed pores and readily functionalizable porewalls; figure 3 shows a TEM from a polymerized surfactant / methylmethacrylate / water cubic phase; and2)Compelling evidence has been found that these same morphologies describe biomembrane systems in a wide range of cells.


Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 1640
Author(s):  
Massimiliano Lanzi ◽  
Debora Quadretti ◽  
Martina Marinelli ◽  
Yasamin Ziai ◽  
Elisabetta Salatelli ◽  
...  

A new side-chain C60-fullerene functionalized thiophene copolymer bearing tributylphosphine-substituted hexylic lateral groups was successfully synthesized by means of a fast and effective post-polymerization reaction on a regioregular ω-alkylbrominated polymeric precursor. The growth of the polymeric intermediate was followed by NMR spectrometry in order to determine the most convenient reaction time. The obtained copolymer was soluble in water and polar solvents and was used as a photoactive layer in single-material organic photovoltaic (OPV) solar cells. The copolymer photovoltaic efficiency was compared with that of an OPV cell containing a water-soluble polythiophenic homopolymer, functionalized with the same tributylphosphine-substituted hexylic side chains, in a blend with a water-soluble C60-fullerene derivative. The use of a water-soluble double-cable copolymer made it possible to enhance the control on the nanomorphology of the active blend, thus reducing phase-segregation phenomena, as well as the macroscale separation between the electron acceptor and donor components. Indeed, the power conversion efficiency of OPV cells based on a single material was higher than that obtained with the classical architecture, involving the presence of two distinct ED and EA materials (PCE: 3.11% vs. 2.29%, respectively). Moreover, the synthetic procedure adopted to obtain single material-based cells is more straightforward and easier than that used for the preparation of the homopolymer-based BHJ solar cell, thus making it possible to completely avoid the long synthetic pathway which is required to prepare water-soluble fullerene derivatives.


2021 ◽  
pp. 107754632110082
Author(s):  
Hanbo Shao ◽  
Jincheng He ◽  
Jiang Zhu ◽  
Guoping Chen ◽  
Huan He

Our work investigates a tunable multilayer composite structure for applications in the area of low-frequency absorption. This acoustic device is comprised of three layers, Helmholtz cavity layer, microperforated panel layer, and the porous material layer. For the simulation and experiment in our research, the absorber can fulfill a twofold requirement: the acoustic absorption coefficient can reach near 0.8 in very low frequency (400 Hz) and the range of frequency is very wide (400–3000 Hz). In all its absorption frequency, the average of the acoustic absorption coefficient is over 0.9. Besides, the absorption coefficient can be tunable by the scalable cavity. The multilayer composite structure in our article solved the disadvantages in single material. For example, small absorption coefficient in low frequency in traditional material such as microperforated panel and porous material and narrow reduction frequency range in acoustic metamaterial such as Helmholtz cavity. The design of the composite structure in our article can have more wide application than single material. It can also give us a novel idea to produce new acoustic devices.


Aerospace ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 104
Author(s):  
Dong-Hyeop Kim ◽  
Young-Cheol Kim ◽  
Sang-Woo Kim

Airworthiness standards of Korea recommend verifying structural safety by experimental tests and analytical methods, owing to the development of analysis technology. In this study, we propose a methodology to verify the structural safety of aircraft components based on airworthiness requirements using an analytical method. The structural safety and fatigue integrity of a linear actuator for flap control of aircraft was evaluated through numerical analysis. The static and fatigue analyses for the given loads obtained from the multibody dynamics analysis were performed using the finite element method. Subsequently, the margin of safety and vulnerable area were acquired and the feasibility of the structural safety evaluation using the analytical method was confirmed. The proposed numerical analysis method in this study can be adopted as an analytical verification methodology for the airworthiness standards of civilian aircraft in Korea.


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