Superhydrophobic self-cleaning and wear-resistant nanocomposite surfaces were produced by mimicking the hierarchical structure of the lotus leaf using a combination of rapid self-assembly and a UV nano-imprint lithography (UVNIL) process with a silicone ma ...
The present relates to a nanoporous carbon membrane manufacturing method comprising coating a block copolymer film with hydrophilic and hydrophobic blocks, on a sacrificial non-porous substrate so as to prepare an block copolymer film coated foil, transfer ...
Flexible polymer additives are known to reduce the energy dissipation and friction drag in turbulent flows. As the fluid elasticity increases, the flow undergoes several stages of transitions. Much attention in the area has been focused on the onset of dra ...
At low pH, underwater adherence between poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamide) hydrogels and poly(acrylic acid) brushes is due to the formation of multiple hydrogen bonds. The effect of the key parameters controlling the formation of these interactions (contact time ...
Conductive nanocomposites have emerged as significant smart engineered materials for realizing flexible electronics on diverse substrates in recent years. Conductive nanocomposites are comprised of conductive fillers mixed with polymeric elastomer (e.g. po ...
The chemical modification of polymers with lateral polar groups increases their dielectric permittivity above the glass transition temperature, making them attractive materials for dielectric elastomer actuators. Despite the large dipole moment of the sulf ...
One of the most important characteristics of load-bearing structures is ductility, i.e. the ability of a material or a structure to sustain inelastic deformation prior to failure, without loss of resistance. The topic of this PhD Thesis was to develop duct ...
Fiber Reinforced Composites (FRCs), due to their intrinsic heterogeneity, are generally affected by complex multi-scale failure mechanisms leading to the formation of matrix cracks that are difficult to detect and repair. FRCs with the ability to heal and ...
Owing to the advantages of the optical fibre, such as lightweight, small size, low cost and immunity to electromagnetic interferences, the fibre sensors have been applied in diverse fields and the scientific research on fibre sensing keeps improving to mee ...
Dielectric elastomer actuators (DEA) are smart lightweight flexible materials integrating actuation, sensing, and structural functions. The field of DEAs has been progressing rapidly, with actuation strains of over 300% reported, and many application conce ...
