As a kind of ionic artificial muscle material,Ionic Polymer-Metal Composites(IPMCs)have the advantages of a low drive current,light weight,and significant flexibility.IPMCs are widely used in the fields of biomedicine...As a kind of ionic artificial muscle material,Ionic Polymer-Metal Composites(IPMCs)have the advantages of a low drive current,light weight,and significant flexibility.IPMCs are widely used in the fields of biomedicine,soft robots,etc.However,the displacement and blocking force of the traditional sheet-type Nafion-IPMC need to be improved,and it has the limitation of unidirectional actuation.In this paper,a new type of short side chain Aquivion material is used as the polymer in the IPMC.The cylindrical IPMC is prepared by extrusion technology to improve its actuation performance and realize multi-degree-of-freedom motion.In comparison to the traditional Nafion-IPMC,the ion exchange capacity,specific capacitance,and conductivity of Aquivion-IPMC are improved by 28%,27%,and 32%,respectively,and the displacement and blocking force are improved by 57%and 25%,respectively.The cylindrical actuators can be deflected in eight directions.This indicates that Aquivion,as a polymer membrane for IPMC,holds significant application potential.By designing a cylindrical IPMC electrode distribution,the multi-degree-of-freedom deflection of IPMC can be realized.展开更多
In order to further improve the driving performance of ionic polymer metal composites(IPMCs),Nafion/graphene quantum dots(GQDs)hybrid membranes incorporating GQDs with various contents of 0,0.1 wt.%,0.5 wt.%,1.0 wt.%,...In order to further improve the driving performance of ionic polymer metal composites(IPMCs),Nafion/graphene quantum dots(GQDs)hybrid membranes incorporating GQDs with various contents of 0,0.1 wt.%,0.5 wt.%,1.0 wt.%,2.0 wt.%and 4.0 wt.%were fabricated by solution casting,and then IPMCs were manufactured by electroless plating.The water contents and elastic moduli of the hybrid membranes were tested.The morphology characteristics of the hybrid membranes and the IPMCs were observed,and the current,AC impedance,blocking force and displacement of the IPMCs were measured.The results show that the elastic modulus of the hybrid membranes decreases,the water content increases,and the actuation performance of the IPMCs improves significantly after the addition of GQDs.IPMC with 1.0 wt.%GQDs exhibits the best driving property.Compared with the IPMC without GQDs,the working current,ion conductivity,blocking force,and tip displacement increase by 94.67%,311.11%,53.66%,and 66.07%,respectively.These results lay a solid foundation for the preparation of IPMCs with high performance,and further broaden their applications in biomedical devices and bionic robots.展开更多
Plasma synthetic jet actuator（PSJA） has a wide application prospect in the high-speed flow control field for its high jet velocity.In this paper,the influence of the air pressure on the performance of a two-electrod...Plasma synthetic jet actuator（PSJA） has a wide application prospect in the high-speed flow control field for its high jet velocity.In this paper,the influence of the air pressure on the performance of a two-electrode PSJA is investigated by the schlieren method in a large range from 7 k Pa to 100 k Pa.The energy consumed by the PSJA is roughly the same for all the pressure levels.Traces of the precursor shock wave velocity and the jet front velocity vary a lot for different pressures.The precursor shock wave velocity first decreases gradually and then remains at 345 m/s as the air pressure increases.The peak jet front velocity always appears at the first appearance of a jet,and it decreases gradually with the increase of the air pressure.A maximum precursor shock wave velocity of 520 m/s and a maximum jet front velocity of 440 m/s are observed at the pressure of 7 k Pa.The averaged jet velocity in one period ranges from 44 m/s to 54 m/s for all air pressures,and it drops with the rising of the air pressure.High velocities of the precursor shock wave and the jet front indicate that this type of PSJA can still be used to influence the high-speed flow field at 7 k Pa.展开更多
Soft actuators based on cellulose with highly electro-responsive properties have attracted significant attention in the fields of wearable devices,medical and healthcare devices,soft robots,and human-computer interact...Soft actuators based on cellulose with highly electro-responsive properties have attracted significant attention in the fields of wearable devices,medical and healthcare devices,soft robots,and human-computer interactions.However,existing cellulose-based soft actuators still need to be improved in terms of actuation displacement,bending strain,and driving frequency.Herein,we report a highly responsive ionic actuator using carboxylated cellulose nanofibers from wood pulp(CNFp),graphene nanosheets(GN),and ionic liquids(IL).The CNFp-IL-GN actuator exhibited a large specific capacitance of 749.11 mF/cm^(2)under a 25 mV/s scan rate,a large mechanical displacement(25 mm peak-to-peak)under 2.0 V at 0.1 Hz,a broad actuation frequency(0.1 to 10 Hz),and long working stability.Furthermore,bioinspired applications,including bionic dragonflies and artificial soft-touch fingers,have been demonstrated.These results demonstrate that the proposed actuator is a significant method for advancing soft actuators,artificial muscles,and bioinspired robots.展开更多
Twisted nylon actuators(TNAs)are widely recognized in soft robotics for their excellent load-to-weight ratio and cost-effectiveness.However,their limitations in deformation and output force restrict their ability to s...Twisted nylon actuators(TNAs)are widely recognized in soft robotics for their excellent load-to-weight ratio and cost-effectiveness.However,their limitations in deformation and output force restrict their ability to support more advanced applications.Here,we report 3 performance-enhancing strategies inspired by the construction process of chromosome,which are validated through 3 novel types of TNAs.First,we design a dual-level helical structure,demonstrating remarkable improvements in the deformation(60.2% vertically and approximately 100% horizontally)and energy storage capability(launching a miniature basketball to 131 cm in height).Second,we present a parallel-twisted method,where the output force of TNAs reaches 11.0 N,achieving 12.1% contraction under a load of 15 N(10,000 times its weight).Additionally,we construct the dual-level helical structure based on parallel-twisted TNAs,resulting in a 439.7% improvement in load capability.We have adopted TNAs for several applications:(a)two bionic elbows capable of rotating and shooting a miniature basketball over 130 cm;(b)a robot that can rapidly jump over 30 cm;and(c)a soft finger that achieves contracting(15.3% contraction under 2 kg load),precise bending(tracking errors less than 2.0%),and twisting motions.This work presents approaches for fabricating high-performance soft actuators and explores the potential applications of these actuators for driving soft robots with multifunctional capabilities.展开更多
基金financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.U1637101)The Research Fund of State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control for Aerospace Structures(1005-ZAG23011).
文摘As a kind of ionic artificial muscle material,Ionic Polymer-Metal Composites(IPMCs)have the advantages of a low drive current,light weight,and significant flexibility.IPMCs are widely used in the fields of biomedicine,soft robots,etc.However,the displacement and blocking force of the traditional sheet-type Nafion-IPMC need to be improved,and it has the limitation of unidirectional actuation.In this paper,a new type of short side chain Aquivion material is used as the polymer in the IPMC.The cylindrical IPMC is prepared by extrusion technology to improve its actuation performance and realize multi-degree-of-freedom motion.In comparison to the traditional Nafion-IPMC,the ion exchange capacity,specific capacitance,and conductivity of Aquivion-IPMC are improved by 28%,27%,and 32%,respectively,and the displacement and blocking force are improved by 57%and 25%,respectively.The cylindrical actuators can be deflected in eight directions.This indicates that Aquivion,as a polymer membrane for IPMC,holds significant application potential.By designing a cylindrical IPMC electrode distribution,the multi-degree-of-freedom deflection of IPMC can be realized.
基金Projects(51605220,U1637101)supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of ChinaProject(BK20160793)supported by the Jiangsu Provincial Natural Science Foundation,ChinaProject(NS2020029)supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities,China。
文摘In order to further improve the driving performance of ionic polymer metal composites(IPMCs),Nafion/graphene quantum dots(GQDs)hybrid membranes incorporating GQDs with various contents of 0,0.1 wt.%,0.5 wt.%,1.0 wt.%,2.0 wt.%and 4.0 wt.%were fabricated by solution casting,and then IPMCs were manufactured by electroless plating.The water contents and elastic moduli of the hybrid membranes were tested.The morphology characteristics of the hybrid membranes and the IPMCs were observed,and the current,AC impedance,blocking force and displacement of the IPMCs were measured.The results show that the elastic modulus of the hybrid membranes decreases,the water content increases,and the actuation performance of the IPMCs improves significantly after the addition of GQDs.IPMC with 1.0 wt.%GQDs exhibits the best driving property.Compared with the IPMC without GQDs,the working current,ion conductivity,blocking force,and tip displacement increase by 94.67%,311.11%,53.66%,and 66.07%,respectively.These results lay a solid foundation for the preparation of IPMCs with high performance,and further broaden their applications in biomedical devices and bionic robots.
基金Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.51407197,51522606,51336011,91541120,and 11472306)
文摘Plasma synthetic jet actuator（PSJA） has a wide application prospect in the high-speed flow control field for its high jet velocity.In this paper,the influence of the air pressure on the performance of a two-electrode PSJA is investigated by the schlieren method in a large range from 7 k Pa to 100 k Pa.The energy consumed by the PSJA is roughly the same for all the pressure levels.Traces of the precursor shock wave velocity and the jet front velocity vary a lot for different pressures.The precursor shock wave velocity first decreases gradually and then remains at 345 m/s as the air pressure increases.The peak jet front velocity always appears at the first appearance of a jet,and it decreases gradually with the increase of the air pressure.A maximum precursor shock wave velocity of 520 m/s and a maximum jet front velocity of 440 m/s are observed at the pressure of 7 k Pa.The averaged jet velocity in one period ranges from 44 m/s to 54 m/s for all air pressures,and it drops with the rising of the air pressure.High velocities of the precursor shock wave and the jet front indicate that this type of PSJA can still be used to influence the high-speed flow field at 7 k Pa.
基金Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.52475035,U23A20615)Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.LMS25E050003)+2 种基金Open Funds of the State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power and Mechatronic Systems at Zhejiang University of China(Grant No.GZKF-202419)Fundamental Research Funds of Zhejiang Sci-Tech University of China(Grant No.24242115-Y)the Zhejiang Provincial General Scientific Research Projects Fund of China(Grant No.Y202353093).
文摘Soft actuators based on cellulose with highly electro-responsive properties have attracted significant attention in the fields of wearable devices,medical and healthcare devices,soft robots,and human-computer interactions.However,existing cellulose-based soft actuators still need to be improved in terms of actuation displacement,bending strain,and driving frequency.Herein,we report a highly responsive ionic actuator using carboxylated cellulose nanofibers from wood pulp(CNFp),graphene nanosheets(GN),and ionic liquids(IL).The CNFp-IL-GN actuator exhibited a large specific capacitance of 749.11 mF/cm^(2)under a 25 mV/s scan rate,a large mechanical displacement(25 mm peak-to-peak)under 2.0 V at 0.1 Hz,a broad actuation frequency(0.1 to 10 Hz),and long working stability.Furthermore,bioinspired applications,including bionic dragonflies and artificial soft-touch fingers,have been demonstrated.These results demonstrate that the proposed actuator is a significant method for advancing soft actuators,artificial muscles,and bioinspired robots.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(no.52225501 and no.523B2040).
文摘Twisted nylon actuators(TNAs)are widely recognized in soft robotics for their excellent load-to-weight ratio and cost-effectiveness.However,their limitations in deformation and output force restrict their ability to support more advanced applications.Here,we report 3 performance-enhancing strategies inspired by the construction process of chromosome,which are validated through 3 novel types of TNAs.First,we design a dual-level helical structure,demonstrating remarkable improvements in the deformation(60.2% vertically and approximately 100% horizontally)and energy storage capability(launching a miniature basketball to 131 cm in height).Second,we present a parallel-twisted method,where the output force of TNAs reaches 11.0 N,achieving 12.1% contraction under a load of 15 N(10,000 times its weight).Additionally,we construct the dual-level helical structure based on parallel-twisted TNAs,resulting in a 439.7% improvement in load capability.We have adopted TNAs for several applications:(a)two bionic elbows capable of rotating and shooting a miniature basketball over 130 cm;(b)a robot that can rapidly jump over 30 cm;and(c)a soft finger that achieves contracting(15.3% contraction under 2 kg load),precise bending(tracking errors less than 2.0%),and twisting motions.This work presents approaches for fabricating high-performance soft actuators and explores the potential applications of these actuators for driving soft robots with multifunctional capabilities.
