Article
Chemistry, Physical
Neng Ye, Jingchao Li, Ganggang Zhang, Yufeng Lu, Zhijian Wang, Huan Zhang, Yonglai Lu
Summary: To address the cooling issues of modern electronic equipment, more effective thermal interface materials (TIMs) are needed. Inspired by the structure of natural nacre, a nacre-mimetic microstructure with vertically aligned hexagonal boron nitride (BN) was designed and fabricated. The resulting vertically aligned BN/BR composite showed unprecedented thermal conductivity and reduced chip temperature compared to commercial TIM, while also possessing excellent electrical insulation and flame resistance.
CHEMISTRY OF MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Xiaoxiong Zheng, Yining Jia, Aihua Chen
Summary: The study introduces a UV radiation detection device based on composite fabrics, utilizing ionic liquid and liquid crystal polymer materials to achieve fast response and stable operation in various complex environments. This device provides a generalizable approach for the development of full polymer wearable electronics and soft robots.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Shoichi Yamaguchi, Tetsuyuki Takayama, Yuki Goto, Takuhiro Otosu, Takuma Yagasaki
Summary: The chi(2) spectrum of the water surface has been measured experimentally and theoretically reproduced, shedding light on the effects of intramolecular, intermolecular, and Fermi resonance couplings on the OH-stretch vibrational spectra of water at both the surface and in the bulk.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Polymer Science
Antonio Gonzalez-Jimenez, Pilar Bernal-Ortega, Fernando M. Salamanca, Juan L. Valentin
Summary: This study improves the performance of shape-memory polymers by adding fillers. Adding MWCNTs enhances the shape-memory effect and increases the conductivity of the material, allowing the shape-memory effect to be activated by an electric current. This research contributes to the development of elastic materials with high-performance and controllable shape-memory properties.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Natalia Paprota, Piotr Szatkowski, Monika Szlachta, Wojciech Piekarczyk, Kinga Pielichowska
Summary: Modified polyurethane scaffolds were synthesized using starch and magnetite for potential orthopedic applications. The addition of magnetic particles did not significantly affect the properties of the materials compared to starch. The prepared polyurethanes have the potential to be used in orthopedics for filling or replacing bone defects and undergoing hyperthermia treatment.
ADVANCES IN POLYMER TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Computer Science, Software Engineering
Marzia Riso, Giacomo Nazzaro, Enrico Puppo, Alec Jacobson, Qingnan Zhou, Fabio Pellacini
Summary: This paper presents a method to port Boolean set operations between 2D shapes to surfaces of any genus with any number of open boundaries. By combining shapes into sets of freely intersecting loops and computing arrangements directly on the surface, it supports operations more general than standard Booleans and resolves inconsistencies in arrangements. Through discretizing input shapes and independently resolving arrangements within each triangle of the mesh, it reconstructs boundaries and interiors of cells in vector format output.
ACM TRANSACTIONS ON GRAPHICS
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Ludovico Cestarollo, Shane Smolenski, Amal El-Ghazaly
Summary: Haptics enables tactile interactions between humans and digital interfaces. Magnetorheological elastomers (MREs) have the potential to create a tactile interface that can recreate 3D shapes sensed by touch. By using nanoparticles instead of microparticles, MREs can achieve higher deflection and performance. Isotropic MREs with soft magnetic nanoparticles show better performance due to the soft magnetic nature of the nanoparticles. On the other hand, anisotropic MREs with larger particles can achieve greater deflection.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Milad Karbalaei-Bagher, Zahed Ahmadi, Hossein Nazockdast
Summary: The study demonstrates that vinyltrimethoxysilane-grafted-ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber can improve the compatibility between EPDM and polybenzoxazine blends, leading to an increase in tensile strength.
POLYMER ENGINEERING AND SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Polymer Science
Xin Luo, Yuanpeng Wu, Meiling Guo, Xi Yang, Lingyun Xie, Jingjuan Lai, Zhenyu Li, Hongwei Zhou
Summary: This study successfully prepared a polyurethane/graphene oxide composite with self-healing and shape memory properties, exhibiting excellent mechanical properties and thermal stability.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED POLYMER SCIENCE
(2021)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Deying Luo, Xiaoyue Li, Antoine Dumont, Hongyu Yu, Zheng-Hong Lu
Summary: The focus of the research is on discussing surface and interface engineering to reduce deep-level defects, and by selecting appropriate materials and processing methods to enhance the device performance of both solar cells and light-emitting diodes.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Polymer Science
Jian Wu, Shuangkun Zhang, Majid Basharat, Wei Liu, Shaotao Dai, Teng Zhang, Zhanpeng Wu
Summary: The PDPP/Kevlar composites exhibit excellent tensile strength and ablation resistance, attributed to the strong interfacial bonding between the matrix and fibers, which benefits from the possible network of intermolecular hydrogen bonds.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED POLYMER SCIENCE
(2021)
Review
Chemistry, Physical
Jorn D. Steen, Daniel R. Duijnstee, Wesley R. Browne
Summary: Molecular switching has become a key functionality in addressable materials and surfaces. However, the wide variation in interfaces studied, from single-molecule devices to two-dimensional self-assembled monolayers and thin films, poses challenges in their use and characterization. The low number density of molecules on modified interfaces and the complexity of characterizing molecular function further complicate the analysis. This review discusses the techniques and approaches used for characterizing molecular switches applied to interfaces and emphasizes the importance of understanding the limitations and quirks of specific techniques through the use of model compounds.
SURFACE SCIENCE REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Composites
Leilei Xia, Zhijian Hu, Lizhi Sun
Summary: The mechanical properties of magnetorheological elastomers (MREs) play a crucial role in their engineering applications. This study proposes a computational micromechanics-based multiphysics coupling model to reveal the overall magneto-hyperelastic properties of MREs. The effects of demagnetizing field and microstructures on the overall magnetic stresses are emphasized.
COMPOSITES SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Automation & Control Systems
Zefang Li, Gina Olson, Dinesh K. Patel, Lining Yao, Carmel Majidi
Summary: This article presents a novel operation mode of LCE actuators based on the wrinkling behavior of an LCE-elastomer bilayer architecture. Embedding a liquid-metal-based conductive ink within the LCE enables electrical control of surface wrinkling through Joule heating. The actuator cells can generate wrinkles with amplitudes ranging from 17 to 45 mu m within 30 s under an input power of 2 W and a voltage on the order of 1 V. As the bilayer is composed entirely of soft materials, it is highly deformable, flexible, and can be integrated into a multi-cell array capable of bending on curved surfaces.
ADVANCED INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Bryce J. Stottlemire, Jonathan D. Miller, Jonathan Whitlow, Sebastian G. Huayamares, Prajnaparamita Dhar, Mei He, Cory J. Berkland
Summary: The study presents a silicone elastomer with a suspension of ferromagnetic nickel nanorods capable of sensing deformation and altering stiffness when exposed to an external magnetic field. This material can be used as a soft load cell for detecting the rate, duration, and magnitude of force applied, and lattice structures with the same sensing capacity can be 3D printed using the same material composition.
ADVANCED MATERIALS TECHNOLOGIES
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Dihao Liu, Makoto Uda, Musashi Seike, Sayaka Fukui, Tomoyasu Hirai, Yoshinobu Nakamura, Syuji Fujii
Summary: Polystyrene particle-stabilized paraffin droplets were successfully coated with polypyrrole overlayers using aqueous chemical oxidative polymerization of pyrrole. The thickness of the overlayer could be controlled by changing the concentration of pyrrole in the media. Motion control of the droplets on an air-water surface was achieved through site-selective near-infrared light irradiation, as well as sunlight focused using a magnifying glass. The direction and timing of the motion could be controlled by irradiation, with longer path lengths, velocities, and decay times observed with increased thickness of the polypyrrole overlayer.
COLLOID AND POLYMER SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Benjamin T. Lobel, Matthew J. Hobson, Peter M. Ireland, Grant B. Webber, Casey A. Thomas, Haruka Ogino, Syuji Fujii, Erica J. Wanless
Summary: This study reports an unusually large spacing observed between microparticles on a water droplet surface using dielectrophoresis, influenced by particle properties and external electric field. A simple model was derived to predict the spacing, balancing dipole-dipole repulsion against particle weight. The study also found that the spacing is dependent on particle density, induced dipole moment, and the number of particles present on the droplet interface.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yusuke Tsumura, Anne-Laure Fameau, Kanade Matsui, Tomoyasu Hirai, Yoshinobu Nakamura, Syuji Fujii
Summary: This paper introduces a type of responsive liquid droplets that can change their shape, stability, and motion by the application of stimuli, which has attracted great interest due to its wide range of applications. By using micrometer-sized fatty acid particles and polypyrrole overlayers with photothermal property, we design photo-and thermoresponsive liquid droplets. The effect of the alkyl chain length of the fatty acid on the resulting core-shell particles and the light and temperature dual stimuli-responsive nature of the liquid droplets are investigated. It is found that the disruption time of the liquid droplets is closely correlated to the melting point of the fatty acid linked to the alkyl chain length and light irradiation power.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Nahoko Ono, Ryo Seishima, Koji Okabayashi, Hiroaki Imai, Syuji Fujii, Yuya Oaki
Summary: This study presents a sponge device that utilizes two stimuli-responsive materials to image and measure compression stresses. The device successfully achieves imaging and measurement of compression stresses in the kPa range, and can be applied to various fields.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yingxiang Dong, Jialin Chi, Zelun Ren, Biao Xiong, Ziqing Liu, Wenjun Zhang, Lijun Wang, Syuji Fujii, Steven P. Armes, Yin Ning
Summary: By designing a series of soft and deformable nanogels as particulate additives, nanogel@calcite nanocomposite crystals with significant morphological changes were prepared. The deformation of nanogels depends on their degree of cross-linking and occurs normal to the growth direction of the calcite. In situ atomic force microscopy studies revealed the underlying occlusion mechanism. This model system provides new insights into the formation of oriented structures during biomineralization and offers new possibilities for designing synthetic nanocomposites with aligned anisotropic nanoparticles.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Yoshinobu Nakamura, Risa Kishimoto, Hiroki Nishi, Natsuki Uchimura, Hiroyuki Yoden, Shigeki Hikasa, Hideki Iwata, Yoshiaki Urahama, Tomoyasu Hirai, Syuji Fujii
Summary: Investigation on probes with suitable shapes and surface roughnesses for a probe tack test on pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) revealed that a smooth, polished probe slightly convex at the center demonstrated superior performance compared to a flat-ended probe. High surface roughness decreased tack. Observations on debonding showed that fibrillation started from the edge of the probe and spread to the center, with the fibril growing without peeling until reaching the peak of the force-displacement curve, followed by simultaneous fibril growth and peeling. The study also highlighted the importance of fibrillation in tack development and investigated the necessary test conditions to observe the deformation behavior of PSA tape with sufficient interfacial adhesion. A preheating method involving contacting the probe and PSA tape, followed by cooling, was found to be useful for characterizing PSAs. A comparison between crosslinked random copolymers poly(n-butyl acrylate-acrylic acid) (A) and poly(2-ethylhexyl acrylate-acrylic acid) (B) demonstrated that copolymer B exhibited better interfacial adhesion and deformability, with the presence of a fibrillation shoulder after the peak in the force-displacement curve.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED POLYMER SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Nichayanan Manyuan, Tomoko Otsuki, Yusuke Tsumura, Syuji Fujii, Hideya Kawasaki
Summary: Dry liquid metal powders can be easily prepared by mixing gallium-based liquid metals with silica nanoparticles. The dry powders have advantages such as high throughput, scalability, and low toxicity, making them suitable for applications in energy conversion systems.
JOURNAL OF COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yuri Sakurai, Rina Kakiuchi, Tomoyasu Hirai, Yoshinobu Nakamura, Syuji Fujii
Summary: Submillimeter hexagonal polymer plates were used as stabilizers for aqueous bubbles, and their hydrophilic-hydrophobic property, size, and solid concentration were found to affect the formability, stability, and shape of the bubbles. Increasing hydrophobicity, decreasing plate size, and increasing solid concentration improved the formability and stability of the bubbles. Suitable wettability of the plates resulted in three-dimensional bubbles with spherical and polyhedral shapes, while poor wettability led to two-dimensional bubbles with accordion-type structures. The bubble/stabilizer size ratio was correlated with bubble shape, with different ratios resulting in variations of spherical, polyhedral, triangular, and sandwich shapes.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Shoichiro Aoki, Tatsuro Yoshida, Hung K. Nguyen, Ken Nakajima, Tomoyasu Hirai, Yoshinobu Nakamura, Syuji Fujii
Summary: Cubic liquid marbles (LMs) were fabricated using different epoxy monomers and polymer plates as stabilizers. Cubic polymer particles were synthesized by exposing the LMs to NH3 vapor, and the effect of solubility parameters (SPs) of the epoxy monomers on particle formation was investigated. The shapes of the LMs and resulting polymer particles could be controlled by adjusting the number of polymer plates and coalescence of the LMs.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Jeongbin Heo, Jaeseung Lee, Wonmi Shim, Hyeonjin Kim, Syuji Fujii, Jaehoon Lim, Michael Kappl, Hans-Juergen Butt, Sanghyuk Wooh
Summary: The surface-templated evaporation-driven(S-TED) method using liquid-repellent surfaces has gained attention for fabricating supraparticles of defined shape, size, and porosity. However, challenges in mass production have hindered its widespread adoption. To overcome this, the evaporation-driven multiple supraparticle synthesis by drying arrays of self-lubricating colloidal dispersion microdrops is introduced. A hydrophilic micropattern on a hydrophobic substrate is prepared as a template for this method. By employing an Ouzo-like colloidal dispersion, the successful fabrication of supraparticle arrays is achieved.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Kazusa Takeuchi, Peter M. Ireland, Grant B. Webber, Erica J. Wanless, Masaki Hayashi, Ryuga Sakabe, Syuji Fujii
Summary: This study investigates the electrostatic transfer and adsorption of electrically conductive polymer-coated poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) plates from a particle bed to a water droplet, focusing on the influence of plate thickness and shape.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yuya Atsuta, Kazusa Takeuchi, Nano Shioda, Wakana Hamada, Tomoyasu Hirai, Yoshinobu Nakamura, Yuya Oaki, Syuji Fujii
Summary: This study successfully synthesized surfactant-free polypyrrole nanoparticles and characterized their properties. The resulting nanoparticles showed colloidal stability in aqueous medium and could act as emulsifiers at the oil-water interface to stabilize emulsions.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Hinari Sakai, Tsz-Ming Yung, Tomoki Mure, Naoki Kurono, Syuji Fujii, Yoshinobu Nakamura, Teruaki Hayakawa, Ming-Chia Li, Tomoyasu Hirai
Summary: Circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) can be controlled by using a helical nanosized fused quartz cell made of chiral silica, allowing for the manipulation of wavelength and helical sense of an achiral luminophore. This provides an effective strategy for designing novel CPL-active materials.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Nano Shioda, Ryotaro Kobayashi, Seiichiro Katsura, Hiroaki Imai, Syuji Fujii, Yuya Oaki
Summary: This article presents a highly sensitive friction-imaging device that can visualize and quantify weak friction forces, and can be applied to a motion-copying system by a robot. The device is based on stimuli-responsive materials (polydiacetylene), and the color change of the polydiacetylene indicates the disruption of a droplet surrounded by solid particles due to weak friction forces. The cascading responses enable colorimetric imaging and measurement of weak friction forces in the range of 0.006-0.080 N. Furthermore, the device can visualize the force distribution of handwriting in calligraphy to distinguish between experts, practitioners, and beginners.
MATERIALS HORIZONS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Hiroaki Takeoka, Musashi Seike, Yoshinobu Nakamura, Hiroaki Imai, Yuya Oaki, Syuji Fujii
Summary: A 3-dimensional polypyrrole-palladium nanocomposite material was prepared by transferring a sponge structure of a sea urchin spine via chemical oxidative polymerization. The nanocomposite material was successfully coated with nickel, maintaining the 3-dimensional sponge structure by electroless plating in an aqueous medium.
MATERIALS ADVANCES
(2022)
