Abstract

Smart materials possess properties that are superior to conventional materials. For example, some smart materials exhibit large deformation in responding to external stimuli, such as heat, PH value, electrical field, and humidity, and some smart materials could self-heal like human skin when cut broken. In the first part of this talk, I’ll discuss surface wrinkling mechanics of shape memory polymers, with potential applications in smart electronics, tunable adhesion and unusual optics. In the second part, I’ll introduce our recent progress on self-healable, recyclable and malleable electronic skin based on dynamic covalent thermoset doped with conductive silver nanoparticles. Tactile, temperature, flow and humidity sensing capabilities wre realized. The e-skin can be rehealed when it’s damaged, and can be fully recycled at room temperature. After rehealing or recycling, the e-skin regains mechanical and electrical properties comparable to the original e-skin. In addition, malleability enables the e-skin to permanently conform to complex, curved surfaces without introducing excessive interfacial stresses. These properties of the e-skin yield an economical and eco-friendly technology that can find broad applications in robotics, prosthetics, healthcare and human-computer interface.

Bio:

Jianliang Xiao is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at University of Colorado Boulder. Before joining CU-Boulder, he was a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Prof. John Rogers’ group at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He obtained his Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2009 from Northwestern University, under the supervision of Prof. Yonggang Huang. His B.S. and M.S. degrees were both from Tsinghua University in 2003 and 2006, respectively. His research interests include stretchable/flexible electronics, nanomaterials, soft materials and thin films.