Recent progresses in microelectronics that enabled the design ultra-low consumption, fully operative electronic systems, have permitted the disposal of autonomous wireless devices ([1]). However, primary batteries, that initially promoted the development of such systems, have nowadays become a break to the spreading of long-lifetime autonomous apparatus, mainly because of their limited lifespan...

In a recent letter, Govaert et al. examined the relationship between strain hardening modulus Gr and flow stress σflow for five different glassy polymers. In each case, results forGr at different strain rates or different temperatures are linearly related to the flow stress. They noted that this linear relation is different than a simple proportionality between Gr and σflow, which they claimed ...

Intended as models in chemistry or biology, branched polymers are often modeled, in turn, by lattice animals (trees on a grid); see, e.g., [3, 5, 8, 10, 18, 19]. However, continuum polymers turn out to be in some respects more tractable than their grid cousins. In order to study the behavior of branched polymers, and in particular to define and understand what random examples look like, we must...

Electroactive conjugated polymer brushes of poly(thiophene) and poly(phenylene) have been prepared via a surface-initiated Kumada-type polycondensation reaction, yielding films with a thickness up to 42 nm.

Mechatronic systems encountered in the power and automation industries exhibit very complex behavior for a variety of applications. These problems require solutions derived from diverse physical phenomena, and hence are considered to be multiphysics problems. One such problem includes computing the coupled electromechanical response of electroactive polymer actuators. Due to the complex nature ...

A hybrid actuation system (HYBAS) utilizing advantages of a combination of electromechanical responses of an electroative polymer (EAP), an electrostrictive copolymer, and an electroactive ceramic single crystal, PZN-PT single crystal, has been developed. The system employs the contribution of the actuation elements cooperatively and exhibits a significantly enhanced electromechanical performan...

This paper describes preliminary experiments with an EAP (electroactive polymer) robot. The research reported here serves two purposes. First, we aim at building a testbed to investigate control methods of EAP actuators. Second, we wish to build an underwater robot that mimics undulating motions of pectoral fins. The prototype described in this paper has two pectoral fins. The tests confirm tha...

The combination of stem cell therapy with a supportive scaffold is a promising approach to improving cardiac tissue engineering. Stem cell therapy can be used to repair nonfunctioning heart tissue and achieve myocardial regeneration, and scaffold materials can be utilized in order to successfully deliver and support stem cells in vivo. Current research describes passive scaffold materials; here...