A1 - Active and Smart Materials

Coordinator: Andrea Dorigato

This area is focused on the development of new multifunctional materials manufactured through sustainable techniques by using non-critical or recycled materials, with particular attention to the optimization of the component durability and the design for disassembling.

Keywords: sustainability, multifunctionality, energy harvesting, energy storage, energy conversion, actuators, transducers, sensors, flexible electronics, additive manufacturing, net-shape manufacturing, lightweight design, bioplastics, piezoelectric materials, nanocomposites, rheology, electrical behaviour, thermo-mechanical properties, Life Cycle Assessment.

This area is focused on the development of new multifunctional materials (e.g. biopolymers, electro- or thermo-active composites from renewable or biodegradable resources, flexible metamaterials) produced through sustainable techniques (low energy consumption, net shape manufacturing) by using non-critical or recycled materials. Particular attention will be devoted to the optimization of the component durability and the design for disassembling. Thanks to these new materials it will be possible to develop innovative flexible and non-flexible subsystems suitable for integration on robots, such as transducers (sensors, actuators and artificial muscles, energy converters, electro-active systems) based on sustainable and multifunctional materials, self-powered (coupled with energy harvesting systems) and high-efficiency communication systems, smart textiles with integrated electronics. The environmental benefits related to the innovations introduced will be objectively evaluated through a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA).

Relevance within the Department of Excellence Project

The activities within this area aim to contribute to the general objectives of the Department of Excellence project, by focusing in particular on robotic components (e.g. multifunctional materials with low environmental impact, light-weigth, net shape and efficient manufacturing) and sub-systems (integrated energy harvesting and actuation systems based on multifunctional materials), as defined in Quadro D.2 of the project description.

The activities within this area will pursue a system-level approach, and will thus mainly cover the following levels of the research project structure (Quadro D.3):

Level 1 - Enabling technologies, with specific attention to new multifunctional eco-friendly materials (e.g. biopolymers, hydrogels, electro- and thermo-active materials from renewable sources, biodegradable and/or recyclable, highly-deformable metamaterials, eco-sustanaible manufacturing techniques, light-weight and durable design, design for disassembling).
Level 2 - Innovative subsystems integrated in robots, like multifunctional and eco-sustainable transducers (sensors, actuators, energy converters, electro-active systems), self-powered and high-efficiency communication systems (coupled with energy storage devices), smart textiles with integrated electronics.

This area aims to provide contributions to the following project deliverables:

Prototypes of cutomized and eco-sustainable electro-active materials and components, produced with intregrated manufacturing techniques (e.g. 3D printing).
Prototypes of flexible components (e.g. energy harvesting systems).

Strategic equipment for this area, procured as part of the Department of Excellence programme, includes:

Physisorption/chemisorption techniques, for the surface characterization of electro-active nanoparticles.
Capillary viscometer for the rheological characterization and the evaluation of the processability of materials for soft robotics.
Lab-scale Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) technology, for the net-shape manufacturing of light-weight robotic components.
Differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) operating in a wide temperature range (-150 °C/700 °C), for the advanced thermal characterization of materials for soft robotics.
Differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) coupled with thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) operating at high temperature (1650 °C) and equipped with gas analyzer, for the investigation of the thermal degradation resistance of materials for soft robotics.
Contactless dilatometer operating up to 1600 °C, for the evaluation of the dimensional stability at high temperature of electro-active materials and components.
Thermo-mechanical analyzer of materials for soft robotics.
Laser scanning vibrometer for the characterization of materials and components for soft robotics.
Electrostatic actuators characterization testbench, for the testing of transducers and actuators under different loading conditions.

A1 - Active and Smart Materials

Relevance within the Department of Excellence Project

Activities

A1.1 -Multifunctional 3D-printed thermoplastic nanocomposites for thermal management applications

A1.2 - Evaluation of the elastocaloric performance of natural rubber based composites

A1.3 - Novel eco-sustainable polymer nanocomposites with piezoelectric capability for energy harvesting applications

A1.4 - Development of multifunctional polymer composites with self-healing capability

A1.5 -Evaluation of the shape memory properties of eco-sustainable polymer blends