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Electrostatic layer jamming represents a lightweight, low energy consumption, electrically tunable, and cost-effective variable stiffness structure. Flexible parallel electroadhesive structures are the simplest form of electrostatic layer jamming. There is a lack of comprehensive and experimentally validated theoretical variable stiffness models of flexible parallel electroadhesive structures. Here we present the first variable stiffness model of flexible parallel electroadhesive structures under three-point bending, cantilever beam bending subjected to tip concentrated forces, and cantilever beam bending subjected to uniformly distributed forces, using the Euler–Bernoulli beam theory and considering friction and slip between layers by integrating the Maxwell stress tensor into the model. We find that: (1) three-point bending and cantilever beam bending under tip concentrated forces only have pre-slip and full-slip, whereas cantilever beam bending under uniformly distributed forces has an additional partial-slip which can be used for stiffness modulation; (2) the stiffness during the pre-slip stage is four times larger than the stiffness in the full-slip stage; and (3) increasing the voltage, dielectric permittivity, and coefficient of friction can elongate the pre-slip stage, thus enhancing the structural load capability. A customized three-point bending and a cantilever beam bending experimental setup were developed and the experimental deflection–force curve agreed relatively well with the theoretical one. The model, which considered electrode thickness and Young’s modulus, and the results presented in this work are useful insights for understanding the variable stiffness mechanism of electroadhesive layer jamming and are helpful for their structural optimization towards practical applications.

There has been a lot of research on hybrid composites, but most of the research is limited to traditional composites. As a kind of thermo-responsive material, the mechanical properties of shape memory polymer composites (SMPCs) vary dramatically with temperature, so researches on the isothermal mechanical properties of hybrid SMPCs under different temperatures are necessary. This paper investigates the flexural and shape memory performances of carbon fiber (CF) and glass fiber (GF) reinforced hybrid SMPCs. After determining the lamina properties of CF and GF laminae at different temperatures, the flexural properties of hybrid SMPCs were predicted by simulation and theoretical calculations, which agreed well with the subsequent experimental results. The failure modes, dynamic thermomechanical properties, and shape memory properties of hybrid SMPCs with different fiber stacking configurations at different temperatures were then investigated. Finally, the effects of hybrid ratios on the flexural moduli of hybrid SMPCs at different temperatures were studied.

Mars is believed to contain signs of the ancient life and to be the future of humankind. Deep space explorations on Mars have received extensive attention from the scientific and engineering communities. An ancient papyrus scroll-inspired mechanism to deploy the national flag after landing is proposed in this paper. Firstly, a papyrus scroll-inspired structure folded and deployed by shape memory polymer composites (SMPCs) was designed. The material was characterised by both thermodynamic analysis and static mechanical tests. Then, computational modal analysis was completed with material parameters at 25 °C, 55 °C and 85 °C to investigate the temperature effect. Besides, ground-based engineering validations were conducted, including vibration, shock and acceleration tests, as well as deployment verification. Natural frequencies obtained from vibration agreed well with that calculated from simulation. Regular and vacuum deployments showed differences but were both acceptable. Additionally, release reliability greater than 99.99% was obtained through repeated experimental data. Finally, on-Mars qualification was completed with China’s Tianwen-1 mission, with images of the deployed five-star red flag transmitted by the Zhurong rover. It is the world’s first validation of self-deployable mechanism based on SMPCs in deep space, and further applications can be expected.

Shape memory hydrogels (SMHs) are kinds of smart materials with great importance in many fields, such as drug release and soft robotics. In order to design the structures base on SMHs, it is necessary to reveal the mechanism of the shape memory effect and establish the constitutive model of SMHs. However, the existing constitutive models can not describe some of important mechanical behavior of SMHs, such as reversible shape memory effects. In this paper, a three-dimensional finite deformation constitutive model is developed for SMHs with reversible shape memory effects caused by the conformation transition of N-isopropylacrylamide (PNIPAM). In order to well capture its reversible shape memory effect, the polymer network for PNIPAM is decomposed into two parts, coil PNIPAM and globule PNIPAM, with different reference configurations. Then this model is implemented into a user material subroutine (UMAT) and is used for simulating the equilibrium swelling, isothermal uniaxial tension, reversible shape memory behavior and multiple shape memory cycles of SMHs. Our model is validated by comparing the simulation results with experiments. The deformation of a more complex 3D structure and a bilayer structure containing SMHs are also numerically studied which demonstrates great potential of our model in exploring the application of SMHs.

Smart materials and structures have developed rapidly, especially their application in the aerospace field has been widely valued and recognized in recent years. Shape memory cyanate ester (SMCE) resin as a class of smart polymers has a broad application prospect in space deployable structure due to the high glass transition temperature (Tg ) and excellent mechanical properties. In this work, the SMCE resins were prepared by regulating cyanate prepolymer with small molecules, showing high Tg (> 218 °C) and high storage modulus (E' > 3.15 GPa). The SMCE resins maintained a high shape fixity rate (Rf > 95%) at high operating temperatures (100 °C and 120 °C) for 30 d, providing a great potential application for active deformation structures. Moreover, the synergy of carboxyl (–COOH) functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes and short carbon fiber enhanced the thermodynamic properties and shape-changing function of the SMCE composites. The spring made by SMCE composite exhibits 360° freedom rotation, which can be used as smart structures in the aerospace field.

Here, a series of thermoplastic shape memory poly(aryl ether ketone)s (PAEKs) with programmable transition temperature were synthesized via a condensation polymerization reaction. The introduction of flexible segments and side groups onto PAEK main chains promoted the formation of the alternating rigid-flexible structures and the enhanced shape memory properties. The synthesized PAEKs exhibited the great thermal stability and strength which could greatly meet the demands in engineering applications. In addition, non-contact actuation of the shape memory behaviors of PAEKs was realized through the integration of Fe3O4 nanoparticles with magnetocaloric effect. More significantly, small-angle X-ray scattering analysis was utilized to reveal the transition of molecular chains and phase states during the stretching and heating processes. The change of internal structures and orientation of molecular chains during the deformation process might contribute to the regulation of shape memory behaviors. These studies on the fabrication of shape memory PAEKs with non-contact magnetic actuation performances and the investigation of their structural variation during the stretching and heating process were expected to open doors for the fabrication and investigation of new type of shape memory polymers.

Shape memory polymer foam (SMPF) is being studied extensively as potential aerospace materials as they have high compression ratio, high specific strength and high specific modulus compared to other shape memory polymers. In this paper, a composite foam with shape memory epoxy as matrix and polyurethane as functional phase was prepared. The SMPF has been characterized by different analytical and testing methods, and its chemical crosslinking reaction and material properties have been studied. The SMPF was installed in the shape memory polymer composite (SMPC) flexible solar array system (SMPC-FSAS), and ground environment tests and orbital validation were performed. Considering the particularity of space environment, the thermal performance test of ground space environment can effectively test the reliability of shape memory performance. Finally, the SMPC-FSAS carried on SJ-20 satellite successfully deployed on geosynchronous orbit for the first time in the world. Moving forward, SMPF assesses the feasibility of applications in the space field and provides more valuable information.

Smart structures based on shape memory polymer composites (SMPCs) have attracted extensive attention because of their unique self-deployment behavior. This study investigated the thermal design and analysis of the SMPC flexible solar array system (SMPC-FSAS). The thermal design ensured the reliability of the deployment functionality and desirable structural temperatures. The fundamental properties of the shape-memory materials were obtained by dynamic mechanical analysis and shape fixity ratio tests. Thermal experiments, including the thermal balance test (TBT), thermal vacuum test and thermal cycle test were conducted to verify the safety and reliability of the SMPC-FSAS. Additionally, the temperature distribution of the SMPC-FSAS was simulated using numerical analysis. Notably, a geostationary satellite carrying the SMPC-FSAS was successfully launched into a geosynchronous orbit and controlled deployment was accomplished for the first time. The prediction of the numerical model was consistent with the TBT and on-orbit data, thus validating the accuracy of the numerical method. The research in this work has important reference significance for ultra-large SMPC-FSAS in the future.

Pneumatic artificial muscles (PAMs) are compliant fluidic actuators, usually consisting of a tubular bladder, a braided sleeve and end fittings. PAMs have been studied extensively by researchers; however, most previous researches are focused on the axial PAMs. Herein, a pair of nonlinear models were developed based on the principle of virtual work and the force balance analysis. And the two models are applicable to both bending extensile PAMs (BE-PAMs) and bending contractile PAMs (BC-PAMs). In this study, a cyclic bending moment loading experimental method were proposed and conducted with BE-PAMs and BC-PAMs to characterize their deformation and actuation performance and draw their overall relationships of actuation moment to bending curvature and inner pressure. With the experimental results, the validation analysis was carried out to demonstrate the validity of the two models. The energy model can get higher accuracy, while the force balance model could provide more details of the interior and interaction stress conditions. The combination of both can promote the comprehension of non-axial bending PAMs. Moreover, two three-finger soft grippers and a humanoid hand based on BE-PAMs and BC-PAMs were built and tested to investigate their performance on gripping objects. The BE-PAM gripper showed more accommodative gripping performance, whereas, the BC-PAM gripper owned higher gripping force. The humanoid hand combining the merits of both showed excellent flexibility, adaptability and decent load capability in gripping object with various sizes, shapes and materials.

4D printing provides more design freedom for the static structures by adding time dimension in 3D printing. In recent years, some types of active origami structures fabricated by 4D printing have been developed, but most of these structures were thin sheets, which may lead to poor mechanical properties of the structures. In this work, honeycomb sandwich structures were designed to improve the stiffness and recovery force of origami structures. The in-plane tension, in-/out-plane three-point bending, recovery force and shape memory performances of the sandwich structures were investigated. The shape fixity and shape recovery ratio of the active sandwich structures were 98% and 99%, indicating excellent shape memory performance. The application of the sandwich structures in thermally activated self-deployment origami structures was verified. These developed origami structures have the advantages of large area change ratio and fast response speed, demonstrating the great application prospects in the space deployable structures such as antennas.

Smart materials that change their properties in response to external stimuli are of interest for emerging application in energy harvesting. Here, we employ the facile thermal condensation method to synthesize flexible carbon nitride films that can convert slight variations in surrounding humidity to multiple distinct deformations. A quick jumping motion is generated in response to sudden increases in humidity, whereas subtle changes in humidity (i.e., an increase of 2%) cause the film to change shape from tubular to arched. When exposed to humidity fluctuations, the film moves forward by about 2 mm. These results show the prepared carbon nitride film has a great potential in water-driven generators.

Colorless shape memory polyimide (CSMPI) has potential applications in broad fields, especially in advanced optoelectronics due to the excellent optical transparency, shape memory effect and high temperature resistance. In this work, high flexible dianhydrides and fluorine-containing diamines were used to synthesize CSMPI, which simultaneously combined great shape memory performance with high optical transparency. The effects of monomer ratios and imidization temperatures on the molecular structure and properties were investigated. Moreover, the CSMPI film possesses a higher glass transition temperature (T g) of 234 °C, compared with the reported transparent shape memory polymers. Most importantly, the transmittance of CSMPI film is 87%–90% at 450–800 nm, meeting the requirements of heat resistance and transmittance of the substrate. Both shape recovery and shape fixity are over 97%. Flexible and colorless CSMPI films severed as substrates provide more potential in optoelectronic devices such as OLED and OPV, etc.

A shape memory light-induced microfluidic technology is applied in preprogrammed microfluidic chip based on shape memory gold nanoparticles/poly (vinyl alcohol) nanocomposites. The shape memory gold nanoparticles/poly (vinyl alcohol) nanocomposites display excellent light-induced shape memory property with recovery ratio of nearly 100% in visible light. The crosslinked network of light-induced shape memory gold nanoparticles/poly (vinyl alcohol) nanocomposites forms by aldol reaction, esterification, and/or hydrogen bonding of poly (vinyl alcohol), glutaraldehyde, and gold nanoparticles. The light-induced shape memory mechanism of shape memory gold nanoparticles/poly (vinyl alcohol) nanocomposites is based on photothermal effect of gold nanoparticles and shape memory effect of poly (vinyl alcohol)-based shape memory polymer (SMP). In this report, a light-induced microfluidic microvalve is demonstrated based on the shape memory gold nanoparticles/poly (vinyl alcohol) nanocomposites. This research presents demonstration of the shape memory light-induced intelligent microfluidic chip. The light-induced SMP microfluidic microvalve would yield practical, physical, and technological advantages for disposable integrated microfluidic chip laboratories.

Dielectric elastomer (DE) balloon is a new type of actuator that can be used as high frequency pumps or loudspeakers. In this paper, a theoretical model of DE balloon, incorporating stiffening and damping effect, is developed. The numerical results, such as stretch–time curves, phase diagrams and Poincare maps, are presented to study the influence of stiffening and damping on its dynamic performance. Taking the damping effect into account, the DE balloon can reach the equilibrium state after attenuation when subject to an instantaneous constant voltage; subject to a ramping voltage, the dynamic response presents three obvious stages: steady deformation, snap-through or snap-back, and damped oscillation. Due to the strain stiffening, the DE balloon may have two different stable equilibrium states and each has its own natural frequency. With small perturbation energy, the DE balloon can oscillate steadily around the two equilibrium states and resonate at multiple excitation frequencies. With large perturbation energy, the steady oscillation may transform into chaos. The damping force, however, changes no matter steady or chaotic oscillation into a constant periodic oscillation, and also determines the oscillation position.

A tactile display is programmable device whose controlled surface is intended to be investigated by human touch. It has a great number of potential applications in the field of virtual reality and elsewhere. In this research, a 5 × 5 tactile display array including electrorheological (ER) fluid has been developed and investigated. Force responses of the tactile display array have been measured while a probe was moved across the upper surface. The purpose of this was to simulate the action of touch performed by human finger. Experimental results show that the sensed surface information could be controlled effectively by adjusting the voltage activation pattern imposed on the tactels. The performance of the tactile display is durable and repeatable. The touch sensitivity of this ER fluid based tactile display array has also been investigated in this research. The results show that it is possible to sense the touching force normal to the display's surface by monitoring the change of current passing through the ER fluid. These encouraging results are helpful for constructing a new type of tactile display based on ER fluid which can act as both sensor and actuator at the same time.

Shape memory polymers with high glass transition temperature (HSMPs) and HSMP-based deployable structures and devices, which can bear harsh operation conditions for durable applications, have attracted more and more interest in recent years. In this article, colorless and transparent shape memory polyimide (SMCTPI) films were subjected to simulated vacuum thermal cycling, atomic oxygen (AO) and ultraviolet (UV) irradiation environments up to 600 h, 556 h and 600 h for accelerated irradiation. The glass transition temperature (Tg) determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) had no obvious changes after being irradiated by varying amounts of thermal cycling, AO and UV irradiation dose. After being irradiated by 50 thermal cycles, 10 × 1021 atoms cm–2 AO irradiation and 3000 ESH UV irradiation, shape recovery behaviors of SMCTPI films also had no obvious damage even if they experienced 30 shape memory cycles, while the surface morphologies and optical properties were seriously destroyed by AO irradiation, as compared with thermal cycling and UV irradiation. The tensile strength could separately maintain 122 MPa, 120 MPa and 70 MPa after 50 thermal cycles, 10 × 1021 atoms cm–2 AO irradiation and 3000 ESH UV irradiation, which shows great potential for use in aerospace structures and devices.

This work presents a variable stiffness corrugated structure based on a Shape Memory Polymer (SMP) composite with corrugated laminates as reinforcement that shows smooth aerodynamic surface, extreme mechanical anisotropy and variable stiffness for potential morphing skin applications. The smart composite corrugated structure shows a low in-plane stiffness to minimize the actuation energy, but also possess high out-of-plane stiffness to transfer the aerodynamic pressure load. The skin provides an external smooth aerodynamic surface because of the one-sided filling with the SMP. Due to variable stiffness of the shape memory polymer the morphing skin exhibits a variable stiffness with a change of temperature, which can help the skin adjust its stiffness according different service environments and also lock the temporary shape without external force. Analytical models related to the transverse and bending stiffness are derived and validated using Finite Element techniques. The stiffness of the morphing skin is further investigated by performing a parametric analysis against the geometry of the corrugation and various sets of SMP fillers. The theoretical and numerical models show a good agreement and demonstrate the potential of this morphing skin concept for morphing aircraft applications. We also perform a feasibility study of the use of this morphing skin in a variable camber morphing wing baseline. The results show that the morphing skin concept exhibits sufficient bending stiffness to withstand the aerodynamic load at low speed (less than 0.3 Ma), while demonstrating a large transverse stiffness variation (up to 191 times) that helps to create a maximum mechanical efficiency of the structure under varying external conditions.

Shape memory polymer (SMP) is a new kind of intelligent polymer, which can be activated by an external stimulus to change and subsequently recover its original shape. Due to this shape memory effect, SMP can be used in a wide range of engineering and biomedical applications. This paper details an application of SMP on manufacturing of a fracture fixation. The basic properties were characterized by dynamic mechanical analysis, and the stress relaxation and fatigue were established. An SMP-based fracture fixator was designed, analyzed, and optimized. Finally, the fixator was fabricated and the fixed effects were verified by experiment in vitro. The performance of the SMP-based fixator was excellent and proved to be a potential replacement for the traditional fracture fixator.

Shape memory polymer foam is a promising kind of structure in the biomedical and aerospace field. Shape memory styrene foam with uniform and controlled open-cell structure was successfully fabricated using a salt particulate leaching method. Shape recovery capability exists for foam programming in both high-temperature compression and low-temperature compression (

Shape memory polymers (SMPs) have the ability to adjust their stiffness, lock a temporary shape, and recover the permanent shape upon imposing an appropriate stimulus. They have found their way into the field of morphing structures. The electrically Joule resistive heating of the conductive composite can be a desirable stimulus to activate the shape memory effect of SMPs without external heating equipment. Electro-induced SMP composites incorporated with carbon fiber felt (CFF) were explored in this work. The CFF is an excellent conductive filler which can easily spread throughout the composite. It has a huge advantage in terms of low cost, simple manufacturing process, and uniform and tunable temperature distribution while heating. A continuous and compact conductive network made of carbon fibers and the overlap joints among them was observed from the microscopy images, and this network contributes to the high conductive properties of the CFF/SMP composites. The CFF/SMP composites can be electrical-heated rapidly and uniformly, and its' shape recovery effect can be actuated by the electrical resistance Joule heating of the CFF without an external heater. The CFF/SMP composite get higher modulus and higher strength than the pure SMP without losing any strain recovery property. The high dependence of temperature and strain on the electrical resistance also make the composite a good self-sensing material. In general, the CFF/SMP composite shows great prospects as a potential material for the future morphing structures.

The present study reports a feasible approach of fabricating shape memory composite foams with an interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) based on polyurethane (PU) and shape memory epoxy resin (SMER) via a simultaneous polymerization technique. The PU component is capable of constructing a foam structure and the SMER is grafted on the PU network to offer its shape memory property in the final IPN foams. A series of IPN foams without phase separation were produced due to good compatibility and a tight chemical interaction between PU and SMER components. The relationships of the geometry of the foam cell were investigated via varying compositions of PU and SMER. The physical property and shape memory property were also evaluated. The stimulus temperature of IPN shape memory composite foams, glass temperature (Tg), could be tunable by varying the constituents and Tg of PU and SMER. The mechanism of the shape memory effect of IPN foams has been proposed. The shape memory composite foam with IPN developed in this study has the potential to extend its application field.

A novel and facile strategy was proposed to construct a thermosetting/thermoplastic system with both shape memory and self-healing properties based on commercial epoxy resin and poly(-caprolactone)-PCL. Thermoplastic material is capable of re-structuring and changing the stiffness/modulus when the temperature is above melting temperature. PCL microfiber was used as a plasticizer in epoxy resin–based blends, and served as a 'hard segment' to fix a temporary shape of the composites during shape memory cycles. In this study, the electrospun PCL membrane with a porous network structure enabled a homogenous PCL fibrous distribution and optimized interaction between fiber and epoxy resin. The self-healing capability is achieved by phase transition during curing of the composites. The mechanism of the shape memory effect of the thermosetting (rubber)/thermoplastic composite is attributed to the structural design of the thermoplastic network inside the thermosetting resin/rubber matrix.

Dielectric elastomer (DE) is a smart soft material. It is able to produce large deformation under mechanical force and electric field, so that it can achieve mutual conversion between mechanical energy and electrical energy. Based on this property, dielectric elastomer can be used in energy harvesting field. In this paper, firstly, we analyzed the constitutive relation under different hyperelastic models (Gent and neo-Hookean model) based on both theoretical and experimental study. Secondly, we depicted the allowable areas in force-displacement and voltage-charge plane according to different failure modes, and then calculated the maximal energy density in one energy harvesting period. Thirdly, we studied the viscoelastic energy dissipation which can lose the input mechanical energy in the energy harvesting process. Finally, we designed and fabricated a wave power generator, and tested its performance. This paper is of deep significance to the future applications of DE generators.

In the last few decades, shape memory polymers have demonstrated their major advantages of extremely high recovery strain, low density and low cost. Generally, the mechanical behavior of shape memory polymers is strongly dependent on the loading strain rates. Uniaxial tensile experiments were conducted on one kind of typical shape memory polymer (epoxy) at several different temperatures (348 K, 358 K, 368 K and 378 K) and true strain rates (0.25% s−1, 1.25% s−1 and 2.5% s−1). Thus, the influence of strain rate and temperature on the mechanical behavior of epoxy, in particular on the post yield stresses and the strain hardening behavior, were investigated through this experimental study. Based on our previous work Guo (2014 Smart Mater. Struct. 23 105019), a simplified model which can explain the shape memory effect of epoxy was proposed to predict the strain hardening behavior of the shape memory polymer. Based on the suggestion of Rault (1998 J. Non-Cryst. Solids 235–7 737–41), a linear compensation model was introduced to indicate the change in yield stresses with the increase of strain rate and temperature. Finally, the new model predictions for the true strain and stress behavior of epoxy were compared with the experimental results.

In this study, one kind of developed morphing skin embedded with pneumatic muscle fibers (PMFs) was manufactured and was employed for camber morphing structures. The output force and contraction of PMF as well as the morphing skin were experimentally characterized at a series of discrete actuator pressures varying from 0.15 to 0.35 MPa. The active morphing skin test results show that the output force is 73.59 N and the contraction is 0.097 (9.7%) at 0.35 MPa. Due to these properties, this active morphing skin could be easily used for the morphing structures. Then the proper airfoil profile was chosen to manufacture the adaptive airfoil in this study. The chord-wise bending airfoil structure was achieved by employing this kind of active morphing skin. Finally the deformed shapes of this chord-wise bending airfoil structure were obtained by 3-dimensions scanning measurement. Meanwhile the camber morphing structures were analyzed through the finite element method (FEM) and the deformed shapes of the upper surface skins were obtained. The experimental result and FEM analysis result of deformed shapes of the upper surface skins were compared in this paper.

This paper describes a new concept of an active honeycomb structure for morphing wingtip applications based on tubular inflatable systems and an auxetic cellular structure. A work-energy model to predict the output honeycomb displacement versus input pressure is developed together with a finite element formulation, and the results are compared with the data obtained from a small-scale example of an active honeycomb. An analysis of the hysteresis associated with multiple cyclic loading is also provided, and design considerations for a larger-scale wingtip demonstrator are made.

Recently, increasing applications of shape memory polymers have pushed forward the development of appropriate constitutive models for smart materials such as the shape memory polymer. During the heating process, the phase transition, which is a continuous time-dependent process, happens in the shape memory polymer, and various individual phases will form at different configuration temperatures. In addition, these phases can generally be divided into two parts: the frozen and active phase (Liu Y et al 2006 Int. J. Plast. 22 279–313). During the heating or cooling process, the strain will be stored or released with the occurring phase transition between these two parts. Therefore, a shape memory effect emerges. In this paper, a new type of model was developed to characterize the variation of the volume fraction in a shape memory polymer during the phase transition. In addition to the temperature variation, the applied stress was also taken as a significant influence factor on the phase transition. Based on the experimental results, an exponential equation was proposed to describe the relationship between the stress and phase transition temperature. For the sake of describing the mechanical behaviors of the shape memory polymer, a three-dimensional constitutive model was established. Also, the storage strain, which was the key factor of the shape memory effect, was also discussed in detail. Similar to previous works, we first explored the effect of applied stress on storage strain. Through comparisons with the DMA and the creep experimental results, the rationality and accuracy of the new phase transition and constitutive model were finally verified.

A novel shape memory nanocomposite system, consisting of a thermoplastic Nafion polymer and ultrathin electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-based carbonization nanofiber membranes, is successfully synthesized. PAN-based carbonization nanofiber networks that offer responses to deformations are considered to be an excellent actuation source. Significant improvement in the electrical conductivity of carbon nanofiber membranes is found by adjusting the applied voltage power in the electrospinning PAN process varying from 7.85 to 12.30 S cm �1 . The porous structure of the carbon nanofiber membranes provides a large specific surface area and interfacial contact area when combined with the polymer matrix. Shape memory Nafion nanocomposites filled with interpenetrating non-woven electrospun PAN carbonization membranes can be actuated by applying 14 V electrical voltage within 5 s. The results, as demonstrated through morphology, electrical and thermal measurements and a shape recovery test, suggest a valuable route to producing soft nanocomposites.

There are various applications for shape memory polymer (SMP) in the smart materials and structures field due to its large recoverable strain and controllable driving method. The mechanical shape memory deformation mechanism is so obscure that many samples and test schemes have to be tried in order to verify a final design proposal for a smart structure system. This paper proposes a simple and very useful method to unambiguously analyze the thermoviscoelastic shape memory behavior of SMP smart structures. First, experiments under different temperature and loading conditions are performed to characterize the large deformation and thermoviscoelastic behavior of epoxy-SMP. Then, a rheological constitutive model, which is composed of a revised standard linear solid (SLS) element and a thermal expansion element, is proposed for epoxy-SMP. The thermomechanical coupling effect and nonlinear viscous flowing rules are considered in the model. Then, the model is used to predict the measured rubbery and time-dependent response of the material, and different thermomechanical loading histories are adopted to verify the shape memory behavior of the model. The results of the calculation agree with experiments satisfactorily. The proposed shape memory model is practical for the design of SMP smart structures.

As a new class of smart materials, shape memory polymers and their composites (SMPs and SMPCs) can respond to specific external stimulus and remember the original shape. There are many types of stimulus methods to actuate the deformation of SMPs and SMPCs, of which the thermal- and electro-responsive components and structures are common. In this review, the general mechanism of SMPs and SMPCs are first introduced, the stimulus methods are then discussed to demonstrate the shape recovery effect, and finally, the applications of SMPs and SMPCs that are reinforced with fiber materials in aerospace are reviewed. SMPC hinges and booms are discussed in the part on components; the booms can be divided again into foldable SMPC truss booms, coilable SMPC truss booms and storable tubular extendible member (STEM) booms. In terms of SMPC structures, the solar array and deployable panel, reflector antenna and morphing wing are introduced in detail. Considering the factors of weight, recovery force and shock effect, SMPCs are expected to have great potential applications in aerospace.

An aircraft?s vertical fin may experience dramatic buffet loads in high angle of attack flight conditions, and these buffet loads would cause huge vibration and dynamic stress on the vertical fin structure. To reduce the dynamic vibration of the vertical fin structure, macro fiber composite (MFC) actuators were used in this paper. The drive moment equations and sensing voltage equations of the MFC actuators were developed. Finite element analysis models based on three kinds of models of simplified vertical fin structures with surface-bonded MFC actuators were established in ABAQUS. The equivalent damping ratio of the structure was employed in finite element analysis, in order to measure the effectiveness of vibration control. Further, an open-loop test for the active vibration control system of the vertical fin with MFC actuators was designed and developed. The experimental results validated the effectiveness of the MFC actuators as well as the developed methodology.

Shape memory fibrous membranes (SMFMs) are an emerging class of active polymers, which are capable of switching from a temporary shape to their permanent shape upon appropriate stimulation. Quintuple-shape memory membranes based on the thermoplastic polymer Nafion, with a stable fibrous structure, are achieved via electrospinning technology, and possess a broad transition temperature. The recovery of multiple temporary shapes of electrospun membranes can be triggered by heat in a single triple-, quadruple-, quintuple-shape memory cycle, respectively. The fiber morphology and nanometer size provide unprecedented design flexibility for the adjustable morphing effect. SMFMs enable complex deformations at need, having a wide potential application field including smart textiles, artificial intelligence robots, bio-medical engineering, aerospace technologies, etc in the future.

As a typical smart material, shape memory polymers (SMPs) have the capability of variable stiffness in response to external stimuli, such as heat, electricity, magnetism and solvents. In this research, a shape memory polymer composite (SMPC) tube composed of multi-layered filament wound structures is investigated. The SMPC tube possesses considerable flexibility under high temperature and rigidity under low temperature. Significant changes in effective engineering modulus can be achieved through regulating the environment temperature. Based on the classical laminated-plate theory and Sun’s thick laminate analysis, a 3D theory method is used to study the effective engineering modulus and modulus ratio of the SMPC tube. The tensile test is conducted on the SMPC tube to verify the accuracy of the theoretical method. In addition, the effective engineering modulus and modulus ratio are discussed under different fiber-winding angles and fiber volume fractions of the SMPC tube. The presented analysis provides meaningful guidance to assist the design and manufacture of SMPC tubes in morphing skin applications.

The constitutive relation and the electromechanical stability of Varga–Blatz–Ko-type compressible isotropic dielectric elastomers undergoing large deformation are investigated in this paper. Free energy in any form, which consists of elastic strain energy and electric field energy, can be applied to analyze the electromechanical stability of dielectric elastomers. The constitutive relation and the electromechanical stability are analyzed by applying a new kind of free energy model, which consists of elastic strain energy, composed of the Varga model as the volume conservative energy and the Blatz–Ko model as the volume non-conservative energy, and electric field energy with constant permittivity. The ratio between the principal planar stretches, the ratio between the thickness and length direction stretches, and the power exponent of the stretch are defined to characterize the mechanical loading behavior and compressible behavior of the dielectric elastomer. Along with the increase of these parameters, which determine the shape or volume of the elastomer, and the Poisson ratio, the critical nominal electric field is higher, which indicates a more stable dielectric elastomer electromechanical system. In contrast, with the decrease of the dimensionless material parameter α of the Varga elastic strain energy, the critical nominal electric field increases. The coupling system becomes more stable. We further demonstrate that the critical nominal electric field of the compressible dielectric elastomer electromechanical coupling system is significantly influenced by the ratio between the principal planar stretches.

In this paper, a kind of morphing skin embedded with pneumatic muscle fibers is proposed from the bionics perspective. The elastic modulus of the designed pneumatic muscle fibers is experimentally determined and their output force is tested with internal air pressure varying from 0 to 0.4 MPa. The experimental results show that the contraction ratio of the pneumatic muscle fibers using the given material could reach up to 26.8%. Isothermal tensile tests are conducted on the fabricated morphing skin, and the results are compared with theoretical predictions based on the rule of mixture. When the strain is lower than 3% and in its linear-elastic range, the rule of mixture is proved to possess satisfying accuracy in the prediction of the elastic modulus of the morphing skin. Subsequently, the output force of the morphing skin is tested. It is revealed that when the volume ratio of the pneumatic muscle fibers is 0.228, the contraction ratio can reach up to 17.8%, which is satisfactory for meeting the camber requirement of morphing skin with maximum strain level below 2%. Finally, stress-bearing capability tests of the morphing skin on local uniformly distributed loads are conducted, and the test results show that the transverse stiffness of the morphing skin can be regulated by changing the internal air pressure. Under a uniformly distributed load of 540 Pa, the designed morphing skin is capable of varying by more than two orders of magnitude in the transverse stiffness by changing the internal air pressure.

We here propose a new method to analyze the thermo-electro-mechanical instability of dielectric elastomers. The equilibrium equations in this thermodynamic system at different temperatures are initially established. We then obtained the critical nominal electric field and the critical stretch under various mechanical and thermal loads, involving the effects of different stretch regimes on the system stability, i.e. the equal-biaxial stretch, the unequal-biaxial stretch and the thickness elongation. Finally, numerical results showed that as the temperature increases, the critical nominal electric field and the stretch of the dielectric elastomer are strengthened, which consequently stabilize the system. The results provide guidance to the design and synthesis of dielectric elastomer-based devices, especially for those operating at various temperatures.

In this paper, an expression for the permittivity of electro-active silicone undergoing large deformation with high permittivity particles filled uniformly has been proposed. Two expressions are proposed for the permittivity, one based on experimental tests and the other based on the theory of composite material. By applying the thermodynamic model incorporating linear dielectric permittivity and nonlinear hyperelastic performance, the mechanical performance and electromechanical stability of the coupling system constituted by silicone filled with PMN–PT have been studied. The results show that the critical electric field decreases, namely the stability performance of the system declines when the content of PMN–PT c(v) increases and the electrostrictive coefficients increase. The results are beneficial for us to understand deeply the influence of the filled particle on the stability performance of silicone and to guide the design and manufacture of actuators and sensors based on dielectric elastomers.

The present paper studies the electrical and shape-memory behavior of self-assembled carbon nanofiber (CNF) nanopaper incorporated with shape-memory polymer (SMP). The morphology and structure of the self-assembled nanopapers were characterized with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). A continuous and compact network was observed from the SEM images, which indicates that the CNF nanopaper could have highly conductive properties. The electrical conductivity of the CNF nanopaper was measured by the four-point probe method and its temperature coefficient effect was studied. Finally, the actuation of SMP was demonstrated by the electrical resistive heating of the CNF nanopaper.

In this paper, hybrid fillers, including carbon black (CB) and chopped short carbon fibers (SCF), are integrated into a styrene-based shape memory polymer (SMP) with sensing and actuating capabilities. The hybrid filler is expected to transform insulating SMP into conducting. Static mechanical properties of the SMP composites containing various filler concentrations of hybrid filler reinforcement are studied first, and it is theoretically and experimentally confirmed that the mechanical properties are significantly improved by a factor of filler content of SCF. The excellent electrical properties of this novel type of SMP composite are determined by a four-point-probe method. As a consequence, the sensing properties of SMP composite filled with 5 wt% CB and 2 wt% SCF are characterized by functions of temperature and strain. These two experimental results both aid the use of SMP composites as sensors that respond to changes in temperature or mechanical loads. On the other hand, the actuating capability of SMP composites is also validated and demonstrated. The dynamic mechanical analysis result reveals that the output strength of SMP composites is improved with an increase in filler content of SCF. The actuating capability of SMP composites is subsequently demonstrated in a series of photographs.

Dielectric elastomers are one of the important electroactive polymers used as actuators in adaptive structures due to their outstanding ability to generate very large deformations when subjected to an external electric field. In this paper, the Mooney–Rivlin elastic strain energy function with two material constants is used to analyze the electromechanical stability performance of a dielectric elastomer. This elastic strain energy together with the electric energy incorporating linear permittivity are the main items to construct the free energy of the system. Particular numerical results are also calculated for a further understanding of the dielectric elastomer's typical stability performance. The proposed model offers great help in guiding the design and fabrication of actuators featuring dielectric elastomers.

The effect of a linear monomer on thermomechanical properties and shape recovery behavior of an epoxy shape-memory polymer is studied. These shape-memory polymers are prepared from epoxy base resin, hardener and linear epoxy monomer. As the content of the linear monomer increases, the glass transition temperature (Tg) determined using differential scanning calorimetry ranges from 37 to 96 °C. A decrease in rubber modulus is seen from dynamic mechanical analysis for the polymers, which reveals decreasing crosslink density with increasing linear monomer content. Tensile test results show that the elongation at break and strength depends on the content of linear monomer at Tg or Tg−20 °C, while the linear monomer content has minor influence on elongation at break and strength at Tg+20 °C. Finally, investigation on shape recovery behavior reveals that full recovery can be observed for each polymer when the temperature is equal to or above Tg. Also, increasing the linear monomer content results in a decrease in both shape recovery ratio (below Tg) and shape recovery speed (at Tg). These results are interpreted in terms of various crosslink densities attributed to the increasing linear monomer content.

Silicone is a common dielectric elastomer material. Actuators made from it show excellent activation properties including large strains (up to 380%), high energy densities (up to 3.4 J g−1), high efficiency, high responsive speed, good reliability and durability, etc. When a voltage is applied on the compliant electrodes of the dielectric elastomers, the polymer shrinks along the electric field and expands in the transverse plane. In this paper, a silicone dielectric elastomer is synthesized and the area strains are tested under different electric fields. Pre-strain and a certain driving electric field are applied to the film and the induced large strain by the Maxwell stress is measured. Barium titanate (BaTiO3) was incorporated into the silicone to fabricate a new dielectric elastomer: the experimental results show that the elastic modulus and dielectric constant were significantly improved. The experimental results coincide well with those of finite element analysis at a large deformation. Also, a theoretical analysis is performed on the coupling effects of the mechanical and electric fields. A nonlinear field theory of deformable dielectrics and hyperelastic theory are adopted to analyze the electromechanical field behavior of these actuators. Also the mechanical behavior of the dielectric elastomer undergoing large free deformation is studied. Finally, the constitutive model of a dielectric elastomer composite under free deformation and restrained deformation is derived.

This paper concerns an electroactive thermoset styrene-based shape memory polymer (SMP) nanocomposite filled with nanosized (30?nm) carbon powders. With an increase of the incorporated nanocarbon powders of the SMP composite, its glass transition temperature (Tg) decreases and storage modulus increases. Due to the high micro-porosity and homogeneous distributions of nanocarbon powders in the SMP matrix, the SMP composite shows good electrical conductivity with a percolation of about 3.8%. This percolation threshold is slightly lower than that of many other carbon-based conductive polymer composites. Consequently, due to the relatively high electrical conductivity, a sample filled with 10?vol% nanocarbon powders shows a good electroactive shape recovery performance heating by a voltage of 30?V above a transition temperature of 56?69??C.

For the thermal response of shape-memory polymer (SMP) it has been experimentally demonstrated that the actuation can be achieved using interactive solvent. In this paper, the effect of the solubility parameter of the interactive solvent on the shape recovery behavior and glass transition temperature of polystyrene SMP was investigated experimentally. The effect of the solubility parameter on the activation energy was separated and qualitatively identified, as expected from the relaxation theory and Eyring equation. This approach should be applicable to other SMPs and their composites and many extension applications and achievements could be based on this outcome.