Elastomers

Polymer science has made possible rubber tires, Teflon and Kevlar, plastic water bottles, nylon jackets among many other ubiquitous features of daily life. Elastic polymers, known as elastomers, can be stretched and released repeatedly and are used in applications such as gloves and heart valves, wh more

The twisting and bending capabilities of the human muscle system enable a varied and dynamic range of motion, from walking and running to reaching and grasping. Replicating something as seemingly simple as waving a hand in a robot, however, requires a complex series of motors, pumps, actuators and a more

Researchers at Saarland University have created an ultrathin flexible film that can act as a sensor for innovative technologies. Integrated within a glove, the new sensory film can communicate the current position of the wearer’s hand and fingers. By establishing a direct connection between the virt more

In the manufacturing and processing of thermoplastics, elastomers, rubbers and thermosetting materials, knowledge of their thermal properties is very important. Various thermal analysis methods are employed by manufacturers, processors and users in a more

In this work, we perform a combined experimental and numerical analysis of elastomer swelling dynamics upon impingement of a train of solvent droplets. We use time scale analysis to identify spatiotemporal regimes resulting in distinct boundary conditions that occur based on relative values of the a more

Two-stage thiol-acrylate Michael addition reactions have proven useful in programming main-chain liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs). However, the influence of excess acrylate concentration, which is critical to monodomain programming, has not previously been examined with respect to thermomechanical p more

Materials, Vol. 11, Pages 1040: Magnetic Particle Filled Elastomeric Hybrid Composites and Their Magnetorheological Response Materials doi: 10.3390/ma11061040 Authors: Seung Hyuk Kwon Jin Hyun Lee Hyoung Jin Choi The magnetorheological (MR) elastomer as a hard and soft hybrid func more