DUKE University engineers have discovered broader application for graphene to a stretchy polymer film which includes artificial muscles. Prior to attaching the graphene to the rubber film, the film is pre-stretched several times its original size.
The graphene is attached as the rubber film relaxes and irs layer is compressed and crumpled enabling a pattern causing the graphene to unfold as rubber layer is stretched out again.
Electricity applied to the material expands the artificial muscle and contracts when the electrical impulse is ceased. The ability to control the voltage enables the degree of contraction and relaxation that is required.
The technology will also be applicable to robots, which rely on pressurised air to function. The significance of utilising the new rubberised graphene as a type of muscle tissue in future robots will greatly alleviate demands in a variety of fields ranging from robotics to energy harvesting and storage, said Xuanhe Zhao, an Assistant Professor at the Pratt School of Engineering. (RJA)
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