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Results for “Stretchability”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 235 records · Page 13
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Mechanical Toughening of Two-Dimensional Covalent Organic Frameworks Enabled by Graphene-Based Sandwich-Structured Nanocomposites

Low resistance to fracture in two-dimensional covalent organic frameworks (2D COFs) limits their practical applications, especially in mechanically demanding fields, such as flexible electronics and sensing devices. We address this critical limitation by fabricating a sandwich-structured nanocomposite consisting of graphene layers sandwiched between 2D COF layers (2D COFs/graphene/2D COFs) via chemical vapor deposition. Here, our sandwich-structured nanocomposites exhibit a remarkable improvement in modulus E, fracture toughness K IC , and critical energy release rate G C compared to pure 2D COFs. This enhancement is likely due to the graphene layers as the backbone of the sandwich structure effectively carrying and redistributing mechanical stress within the nanocomposite. Our findings demonstrate that a sandwich structure can improve the mechanical robustness of a 2D COF so that it can preserve the functionality and mechanical integrity for applications in stretchable electronics.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

Ultrathin Epitaxial Cu@Au Core–Shell Nanowires for Stable Transparent Conductors

Copper nanowire networks are considered a promising alternative to indium tin oxide as transparent conductors. The fast degradation of copper in ambient conditions, however, largely overshadows their practical applications. Here, we develop the synthesis of ultrathin Cu@Au core-shell nanowires using trioctylphosphine as a strong binding ligand to prevent galvanic replacement reactions. The epitaxial overgrowth of a gold shell with a few atomic layers on the surface of copper nanowires can greatly enhance their resistance to heat (80 °C), humidity (80%) and air for at least 700 h, while their optical and electrical performance remained similar to the original high-performance copper (e.g., sheet resistance 35 Ω sq -1 at transmittance of ~89% with a haze factor <3%). Lastly, the precise engineering of core-shell nanostructures demonstrated in this study offers huge potential to further explore the applications of copper nanowires in flexible and stretchable electronic and optoelectronic devices.

Copper↗
DOE OSTI2019

Poly(oxime–ester) Vitrimers with Catalyst-Free Bond Exchange

Vitrimers are network polymers that undergo associative bond exchange reactions in the condensed phase above a threshold temperature, dictated by the exchangeable bonds comprising the vitrimer. For vitrimers, chemistries reliant on poorly nucleophilic bond exchange partners (e.g., hydroxy-functionalized alkanes) or poorly electrophilic exchangeable bonds, catalysts are required to lower the threshold temperature, which is undesirable in that catalyst leaching or deactivation diminishes its influence over time and may compromise reuse. Here we show how to access catalyst-free bond exchange reactions in catalyst-dependent polyester vitrimers by obviating conventional ester bonds in favor of oxime-esters. Poly(oxime-ester) (POE) vitrimers are synthesized using thiol-ene click chemistry, affording high stretchability and malleability. Finally, POE vitrimers are readily recycled with little degradation of their initial mechanical properties, suggesting exciting opportunities for sustainable plastics.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2015

Soft network composite materials with deterministic and bio-inspired designs

Hard and soft structural composites found in biology provide inspiration for the design of advanced synthetic materials. Many examples of bio-inspired hard materials can be found in the literature; far less attention has been devoted to soft systems. Here we introduce deterministic routes to low-modulus thin film materials with stress/strain responses that can be tailored precisely to match the non-linear properties of biological tissues, with application opportunities that range from soft biomedical devices to constructs for tissue engineering. The approach combines a low-modulus matrix with an open, stretchable network as a structural reinforcement that can yield classes of composites with a wide range of desired mechanical responses, including anisotropic, spatially heterogeneous, hierarchical and self-similar designs. Demonstrative application examples in thin, skin-mounted electrophysiological sensors with mechanics precisely matched to the human epidermis and in soft, hydrogel-based vehicles for triggered drug release suggest their broad potential uses in biomedical devices.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

The meniscus-guided deposition of semiconducting polymers

The electronic devices that play a vital role in our daily life are primarily based on silicon and are thus rigid, opaque, and relatively heavy. However, new electronics relying on polymer semiconductors are opening up new application spaces like stretchable and self-healing sensors and devices, and these can facilitate the integration of such devices into our homes, our clothing, and even our bodies. So, while there has been tremendous interest in such technologies, the widespread adoption of these organic electronics requires low-cost manufacturing techniques. Fortunately, the realization of organic electronics can take inspiration from a technology developed since the beginning of the Common Era: printing. Here, this review addresses the critical issues and considerations in the printing methods for organic electronics, outlines the fundamental fluid mechanics, polymer physics, and deposition parameters involved in the fabrication process, and provides future research directions for the next generation of printed polymer electronics.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

The need for reproducible research in soft robotics

In recent years we have witnessed the rise of commercialization efforts for soft robotic technology, including soft grippers (Soft Robotics, Inc.), stretchable sensors (StretchSense, Inc. and Lightlace, Inc.), and platforms for human-robot interaction (Festo Inc., Meta Reality Labs, Toyota Research Institute, and Disney Research). However, commercialization as a whole lags the trends enjoyed by other robotic technology at equivalent points in their respective lifecycles.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Oxygen reduction reaction induced pH-responsive chemo-mechanical hydrogel actuators

We describe and characterize elementary designs for electrochemical micro- and macro-scale chemomechanical hydrogel actuators. The actuation of a pH-sensitive cross-linked polyacrylic acid (PAA) hydrogel is driven in the model devices through the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) occurring at the electrodes of an embedded Au mesh micro-electrochemical array. Proton consumption by the ORR at the cathode of the embedded electrochemical cell leads to the formation of a localized pH gradient that in turn drives the strain response in the composite actuators. The dynamics result from the ionization of the carboxylic acid moieties of the PAA network in the high pH region, yielding an osmotic pressure that drives a volumetric expansion due to water imbibition. This system actuates both stably and reversibly; when the electrochemically-induced ORR is halted, the localized pH gradient dissipates due to diffusive mixing, which in turn relaxes the induced strains. Two approaches to the fabrication of hydrogel actuators were examined in this work. The first method adopted a design based on small flagella (~0.2 mm × 1.5 mm × 60 μm, width × length × height) in which the actuating PAA structures are molded atop a set of fixed electrodes mounted on a supporting substrate. These hydrogel actuators show fast, large-amplitude, and largely reversible responses in the ORR mediated chemomechanical dynamics. We also investigated larger hydrogel actuators (~4.5 mm × 11 mm × 1 mm, width × length × height), based on an autonomous design that embeds an open mesh stretchable micro-electrode array within the hydrogel. Furthermore, the significant and design-dependent impacts of mass transfer on the chemomechanical dynamics are evidenced in each case, a feature examined to elucidate more efficient mesoscopic design rules for actuators of this form.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2019

The effect of side-chain branch position on the thermal properties of poly(3-alkylthiophenes)

Thermomechanical properties of conjugated polymers (CPs) are greatly influenced by both their microstructures and backbone dynamics. In the present work, to explore the effect of the side-chain branch position on the backbone's mobility and molecular packing structure, four poly (3-alkylthiophene-2,5-diyl) derivatives (P3ATs) with different side chains, either branched or linear, were synthesized by a quasi-living Kumada catalyst transfer polymerization (KCTP) method. The side-chain branch position greatly influences the glass transition temperature ( T g ) of the backbone of P3ATs as well as the melting temperature ( T m ), as measured by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) respectively. Placing the branching point closer to the conjugated backbone leads to increased backbone T g and T m . Also, according to grazing incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering (GIWAXS) results, branching closer to the backbone causes tighter packing in the side-chain direction. The tighter packing along the side-chain direction coresponds with the higher T m , which decreases the free volume of the polymer system and subsequently increases the T g at the same time. This work offers the first in-depth understanding of branch point influences on the thermal properties of poly(3-alkylthiophenes). It would provide guidance to the future development of side-chain engineering on next-generation CPs with desirable thermomechnical properties for stretchable and wearable electronics.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2021

Conductive and anti-freezing hydrogels constructed by pseudo-slide-ring networks

In this work, stretchable, tough, and anti-freezing hydrogels were prepared using partially carboxymethylated polyrotaxanes and polyacrylamides. The carboxylic acid groups of α-cyclodextrins in the polyrotaxane and the amide groups in polyacrylamide are hydrogen-bonded, affording a pseudo-slide-ring network, greatly enhancing the hydrogels’ macroscale mechanical properties, anti-freezing features, and electrical conductivity for the fabrication of a cold-temperature strain sensor.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Printing thermoelectric inks toward next-generation energy and thermal devices

The ability of thermoelectric (TE) materials to convert thermal energy to electricity and vice versa highlights them as a promising candidate for sustainable energy applications. Despite considerable increases in the figure of merit zT of thermoelectric materials in the past two decades, there is still a prominent need to develop scalable synthesis and flexible manufacturing processes to convert high-efficiency materials into high-performance devices. Scalable printing techniques provide a versatile solution to not only fabricate both inorganic and organic TE materials with fine control over the compositions and microstructures, but also manufacture thermoelectric devices with optimized geometric and structural designs that lead to improved efficiency and system-level performances. In this review, we aim to provide a comprehensive framework of printing thermoelectric materials and devices by including recent breakthroughs and relevant discussions on TE materials chemistry, ink formulation, flexible or conformable device design, and processing strategies, with an emphasis on additive manufacturing techniques. Additionally, we review recent innovations in the flexible, conformal, and stretchable device architectures and highlight state-of-the-art applications of these TE devices in energy harvesting and thermal management. Perspectives of emerging research opportunities and future directions are also discussed. While this review centers on thermoelectrics, the fundamental ink chemistry and printing processes possess the potential for applications to a broad range of energy, thermal and electronic devices.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2014

A cohesive law for interfaces in graphene/hexagonal boron nitride heterostructure

Graphene/hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) heterostructure has showed great potential to improve the performance of graphene device. We have established the cohesive law for interfaces between graphene and monolayer or multi-layer h-BN based on the van der Waals force. The cohesive energy and cohesive strength are given in terms of area density of atoms on corresponding layers, number of layers, and parameters in the van der Waals force. It is found that the cohesive law in the graphene/multi-layer h-BN is dominated by the three h-BN layers which are closest to the graphene. The approximate solution is also obtained to simplify the expression of cohesive law. These results are very useful to study the deformation of graphene/h-BN heterostructure, which may have significant impacts on the performance and reliability of the graphene devices especially in the areas of emerging applications such as stretchable electronics.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Electronic properties of polycrystalline graphene under large local strain

To explore the transport properties of polycrystalline graphene under large tensile strain, a strain device has been fabricated using piezocrystal to load local strain onto graphene, up to 22.5%. Ionic liquid gate whose capability of tuning carrier density being much higher than that of a solid gate is used to survey the transfer characteristics of the deformed graphene. The conductance of the Dirac point and field effect mobility of electrons and holes is found to decrease with increasing strain, which is attributed to the scattering of the graphene grain boundaries, the strain induced change of band structure, and defects. However, the transport gap is still not opened. Our study is helpful to evaluate the application of graphene in stretchable electronics.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

A tunable hemispherical platform for non-stretching curved flexible electronics and optoelectronics

One major challenge in incorporating flexible electronics or optoelectronics on curved surfaces is the requirement of significant stretchability. We report a tunable platform for incorporating flexible and yet non-stretching device layers on a hemisphere. In this configuration, an array of planar petals contractively maps onto the surface of an inflatable hemisphere through elastocapillary interactions mediated by an interface liquid. A mechanical model is developed to elucidate the dependence of the conformality of the petal structures on their elastic modulus and thickness and the liquid surface tension. The modeling results are validated against experimental results obtained using petal structures of different thicknesses, restoring elastic spring elements of different spring constants, and liquids with different surface tension coefficients. Our platform will enable facile integration of non-stretching electronic and optoelectronic components prepared using established planar fabrication techniques on tunable hemispherical surfaces.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Transparent hydrogel with enhanced water retention capacity by introducing highly hydratable salt

Polyacrylamide hydrogels containing salt as electrolyte have been used as highly stretchable transparent electrodes in flexible electronics, but those hydrogels are easy to dry out due to water evaporation. Targeted, we try to enhance water retention capacity of polyacrylamide hydrogel by introducing highly hydratable salts into the hydrogel. These hydrogels show enhanced water retention capacity in different level. Specially, polyacrylamide hydrogel containing high content of lithium chloride can retain over 70% of its initial water even in environment with relative humidity of only 10% RH. The excellent water retention capacities of these hydrogels will make more applications of hydrogels become possible.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗