UPDATES
Job opening The Soft Matter group in the Engineering Mechanics department of A*STAR IHPC is seeking a highly motivated and qualified Research Scientist to work in the area of applied mechanics and materials, with focus on soft active materials. The applicant must hold a PhD in applied mechanics, mechanical engineering, or relevant fields. The candidate should have experience in finite element simulation, as well as the ability to implement in-house codes and user-subroutines. The candidate will also have opportunities to work with academic and industrial collaborators. Interested applicants are invited to send a resume to Dr Keith Foo at foocc@ihpc.a-star.edu.sg 30.01.15Giant voltage-induced deformation of a dielectric elastomer under a constant pressure
In this work, we report experiments and theory to show extremely large deformation (~1165% area strain) of a dielectric elastomer actuator coupled with water. 18.09.14 | More>>Natural rubber for sustainable high-power electrical energy generation In this work, we show soft generators based on natural rubber enable clean, low-cost, large-scale generation of electricity. We demonstrate high energy densities (369 mJ/g) and high power densities (200 mW/g), and estimate low levelized cost of electricity (5 − 11 ct/kWh). This work involves researchers from JKU Austria, Harvard, NUS, and IHPC. 22.06.14 | More>> A semi-explicit finite element method for dielectric elastomers
We present a FEM to analyze the electromechanical behavior of dielectric elastomers. One contribution of this work is to model the deformation of the material during snap-through instability, which can be sudden and large. 22.06.14 | More>>
We study a dielectric elastomer membrane rolled into a hollow tube, pre-stretched in the hoop direction, and fixed at the ends of the tube to two rigid rings. Such a structure has been previously developed as generators to harvest energy from ocean waves. 15.05.14 | More>> A staff feature
in IHPC newsletter Powering Discoveries. 06.05.14
Cyclic performance of viscoelastic dielectric elastomers with solid hydrogel electrodes
We study
the cyclic performance of acrylic DE actuators with solid hydrogel electrodes. This work which combines both experiments and theory involves researchers from Xi'an Jiantong University, Harvard University, and IHPC. 12.02.14 | More>>
A gel that is clearly revolutionary
Our work on stretchable ionics is featured on A*STAR Research. 22.01.14 | Link>>
A*STAR SERC Grant Award
We have been awarded a 3-year grant to study smart materials and structures for marine and offshore applications. This grant is funded by the Science and Engineering Research Council (SERC) of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR). 01.10.13
In a paper published in Science, we describe a class of devices fabricated using stretchable, transparent, ionic conductors. These devices are highly deformable and fully transparent. They can operate at frequencies beyond 10 kHz and under voltages above 10 kV. 30.08.13 | More>>
For many applications of dielectric elastomer actuators, it is desirable to replace the carbon-grease electrodes with stretchable, solid-state electrodes. In experiments led by our collaborators from Princeton University, we achieve voltage-actuated areal strains over 70% for dielectric elastomer membranes attached with thin layers of conducting silicone elastomer. 01.09.12 | More>>
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