Abstract
The accurate selection of materials and the fine tuning of their properties represent a fundamental aspect in the realization of new active systems able to produce actuating forces, such as artificial muscles. In this regard, exciting opportunities for the design of new advanced systems are offered by materials belonging to the emerging class of functional polymers: exploiting their actuation response, specific devices can be realized. Along this direction, materials showing either shape-memory effect (SME) or shape-change effect (SCE) have been the subject of extensive studies aimed at designing of actuators as artificial muscles. Here, we concisely review active polymers in terms of properties and main applications in artificial muscle design.
The main aspects related to material properties in both shape-memory polymers (SMPs) and electroactive polymers (EAPs) are reviewed, based on recent scientific literature. SME in thermally activated SMPs is presented by preliminarily providing a definition that encompasses the new theories regarding their fundamental properties. EAPs are briefly presented, describing the working mechanisms and highlighting the main properties and drawbacks, in view of their application as actuators. For both classes of materials, some key examples of effective application in artificial muscles are offered.
The potential in polymer architecture design for the fabrication of actively moving systems is described to give a perspective on the main achievements and new research activities.
J Appl Biomater Funct Mater 2015; 13(1): e1 - e9
Article Type: REVIEW
DOI:10.5301/jabfm.5000184
Authors
Paolo Ariano, Daisy Accardo, Mariangela Lombardi, Sergio Bocchini, Lorenza Draghi, Luigi De Nardo, Paolo FinoArticle History
- • Accepted on 04/11/2013
- • Available online on 30/03/2014
- • Published online on 18/03/2015
Disclosures
This article is available as full text PDF.
Authors
- Ariano, Paolo [PubMed] [Google Scholar] 1, * Corresponding Author ([email protected])
- Accardo, Daisy [PubMed] [Google Scholar] 1, 2
- Lombardi, Mariangela [PubMed] [Google Scholar] 1, 2
- Bocchini, Sergio [PubMed] [Google Scholar] 1
- Draghi, Lorenza [PubMed] [Google Scholar] 3
- De Nardo, Luigi [PubMed] [Google Scholar] 3, 4
- Fino, Paolo [PubMed] [Google Scholar] 1, 2
Affiliations
-
Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Center for Space Human Robotics, Torino - Italy -
Politecnico di Torino, Department of Applied Science and Technology, INSTM RU, Torino - Italy -
Politecnico di Milano, Department of Chemistry, Materials, and Chemical Engineering “G. Natta”, Milano - Italy -
Unità di Ricerca Consorzio INSTM, Politecnico di Milano, Milano - Italy
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