Reconfigurable Surface Micropatterns Based on the Magnetic Field-Induced Shape Memory Effect in Magnetoactive Elastomers

A surface relief grating with a period of 30 µm is embossed onto the surface of magnetoactive elastomer (MAE) samples in the presence of a moderate magnetic field of about 180 mT. The grating, which is represented as a set of parallel stripes with two different amplitude reflectivity coefficients, is detected via diffraction of a laser beam in the reflection configuration. Due to the magnetic-field-induced plasticity effect, the grating persists on the MAE surface for at least 90 h if the magnetic field remains present. When the magnetic field is removed, the diffraction efficiency vanishes in a few minutes. The described effect is much more pronounced in MAE samples with larger content of iron filler (80 wt%) than in the samples with lower content of iron filler (70 wt%). A simple theoretical model is proposed to describe the observed dependence of the diffraction efficiency on the applied magnetic field. Possible applications of MAEs as magnetically reconfigurable diffractive optical elements are discussed. It is proposed that the described experimental method can be used as a convenient tool for investigations of the dynamics of magnetically induced plasticity of MAEs on the micrometer scale.

Testing the magnetoactive elastomer sample for compression with the test machine

A sample of a magnetoactive silicone composite with ferromagnetic fillers is examined on a testing machine. The dependences of the change in the values of the moduli of longitudinal elasticity on deformation are plotted for various modes of compression of the sample. The characteristics of the linear and nonlinear dynamics of changes in the moduli of longitudinal elasticity are given as a function of the magnitudes of the deformations of the material during compression. Within the limits of deformation of the sample, which is 24% of its height, the moduli of longitudinal elasticity are linear. The nonlinear nature of the change in the compression modulus occurs when the sample is deformed over 40%. When the compression ratio of the sample was up to 72%, the compression modulus increased by a factor of 9 without the action of a magnetic field and by a factor of 22 under the action of a magnetic field. The influence of the magnetic field on the growth of the compression moduli with the increase in the compression force ranges is shown. The property of the material to self-healing (“shape memory”) was established after testing in the mode of maximum compression of ultimate loads.

Magnetoelectric Response of Laminated Cantilevers Comprising a Magnetoactive Elastomer and a Piezoelectric Polymer, in Pulsed Uniform Magnetic Fields

The voltage response to pulsed uniform magnetic fields and the accompanying bending deformations of laminated cantilever structures are investigated experimentally in detail. The structures comprise a magnetoactive elastomer (MAE) slab and a commercially available piezoelectric polymer multilayer. The magnetic field is applied vertically and the laminated structures are customarily fixed in the horizontal plane or, alternatively, slightly tilted upwards or downwards. Six different MAE compositions incorporating three concentrations of carbonyl iron particles (70 wt%, 75 wt% and 80 wt%) and two elastomer matrices of different stiffness are used. The dependences of the generated voltage and the cantilever’s deflection on the composition of the MAE layer and its thickness are obtained. The appearance of the voltage between the electrodes of a piezoelectric material upon application of a magnetic field is considered as a manifestation of the direct magnetoelectric (ME) effect in a composite laminated structure. The ME voltage response increases with the increasing total quantity of the soft-magnetic filler in the MAE layer. The relationship between the generated voltage and the cantilever’s deflection is established. The highest observed peak voltage around 5.5 V is about 8.5-fold higher than previously reported values. The quasi-static ME voltage coefficient for this type of ME heterostructures is about 50 V/A in the magnetic field of ≈100 kA/m, obtained for the first time. The results could be useful for the development of magnetic field sensors and energy harvesting devices relying on these novel polymer composites.

Feasibility of Probing the Filler Restructuring in Magnetoactive Elastomers by Ultra-Small-Angle Neutron Scattering

Ultra-small-angle neutron scattering (USANS) experiments are reported on isotropic magnetoactive elastomer (MAE) samples with different concentrations of micrometer-sized iron particles in the presence of an in-plane magnetic field up to 350 mT. The effect of the magnetic field on the scattering curves is observed in the scattering vector range between 2.5 × 10−5 and 1.85 × 10−4 Å−1. It is found that the neutron scattering depends on the magnetization history (hysteresis). The relation of the observed changes to the magnetic-field-induced restructuring of the filler particles is discussed. The perspectives of employing USANS for investigations of the internal microstructure and its changes in magnetic field are considered.

Research on Dynamic and Mechanical Properties of Magnetoactive Elastomers with High Permeability Magnetic Filling Agent at Complex Magneto-Temperature Exposure

We consider magnetically active elastomer as a potentially applicable material for manufacturing a working channel of a magnetic pump unit. During the study, the samples were exposed to a magnetic field, a temperature field, and their combination to assess the change in the elastic-strength properties of the final material. For the preparation of samples, high permeability magnetic fillers of various sizes were used in the concentration range of 50–70%. Samples were made with an isotropic and an anisotropic structure. Studies have shown that when using a filler with a relatively coarse fraction, the material has more stable dynamic and mechanical characteristics: the tensile strength of the sample increases by an average of 38%. With the combined effect of magnetic and temperature fields on the material, its elasticity and strength increase by an average of 30% in comparison with the material without external influence. Based on the results obtained, the composition and structural organization of the material, which has the best complex of elastic strength characteristics, has been substantiated. For the manufacture of a pumping unit tube, it is preferable to use an isotropic magnetoactive elastomer with a coarser filler content of about 60%.

A Cascading Mean-Field Approach to the Calculation of Magnetization Fields in Magnetoactive Elastomers

We consider magnetoactive elastomer samples based on the elastic matrix and magnetizable particle inclusions. The application of an external magnetic field to such composite samples causes the magnetization of particles, which start to interact with each other. This interaction is determined by the magnetization field, generated not only by the external magnetic field but also by the magnetic fields arising in the surroundings of interacting particles. Due to the scale invariance of magnetic interactions (O(r−3) in d=3 dimensions), a comprehensive description of the local as well as of the global effects requires a knowledge about the magnetization fields within individual particles and in mesoscopic portions of the composite material. Accordingly, any precise calculation becomes technically infeasible for a specimen comprising billions of particles arranged within macroscopic sample boundaries. Here, we show a way out of this problem by presenting a greatly simplified, but accurate approximation approach for the computation of magnetization fields in the composite samples. Based on the dipole model to magnetic interactions, we introduce the cascading mean-field description of the magnetization field by separating it into three contributions on the micro-, meso-, and macroscale. It is revealed that the contributions are nested into each other, as in the Matryoshka’s toy. Such a description accompanied by an appropriate linearization scheme allows for an efficient and transparent analysis of magnetoactive elastomers under rather general conditions.

An Origami Flexiball-Inspired Metamaterial Actuator and Its In-Pipe Robot Prototype

Usually, polyhedra are viewed as the underlying constructive cells of packing or tilling in many disciplines, including crystallography, protein folding, viruses structure, building architecture, etc. Here, inspired by the flexible origami polyhedra (commonly called origami flexiballs), we initially probe into their intrinsic metamaterial properties and robotized methods from fabrication to actuation. Firstly, the topology, geometries and elastic energies of shape shifting are analyzed for the three kinds of origami flexiballs with extruded outward rhombic faces. Provably, they meet the definitions of reconfigurable and transformable metamaterials with switchable stiffness and multiple degrees of freedom. Secondly, a new type of soft actuator with rhombic deformations is successfully put forward, different from soft bionic deformations like elongating, contracting, bending, twisting, spiraling, etc. Further, we redesign and fabricate the three-dimensional (3D) printable structures of origami flexiballs considering their 3D printability and foldability, and magnetically actuated them through the attachment of magnetoactive elastomer. Lastly, a fully soft in-pipe robot prototype is presented using the origami flexiball as an applicable attempt. Experimental work clearly suggests that the presented origami flexiball robot has good adaptability to various pipe sizes, and also can be easily expanded to different scales, or reconfigured into more complex metastructures by assembly. In conclusion, this research provides a newly interesting and illuminating member for the emerging families of mechanical metamaterials, soft actuators and soft robots.

Correction: Borin, D., et al. Magnetorheological Effect of Magnetoactive Elastomer with a Permalloy Filler. Polymers 2020, 12, 2371

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