Stimuli–Responsive Mechanoadaptive Elastomeric Composite Materials: Challenges, Opportunities, and New Approaches

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Tuhin Dolui - , Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD) (Author)
  • Tamil S. Natarajan - , Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden (Author)
  • S. Aiswarya - , Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD) (Author)
  • Jagannath Chanda - , Hari Shankar Singhania Elastomer and Tyre Research Institute (HASETRI) (Author)
  • Prasenjit Ghosh - , Hari Shankar Singhania Elastomer and Tyre Research Institute (HASETRI) (Author)
  • Rabindra Mukhopadhyay - , Hari Shankar Singhania Elastomer and Tyre Research Institute (HASETRI) (Author)
  • Sven Wießner - , Chair of Elastomeric Materials (also: Head of the Department of Elastomers at the Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e.V. (IPF)), Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden (Author)
  • Gert Heinrich - , Chair of Textile Technology (Author)
  • Amit Das - , Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden (Author)
  • Shib Shankar Banerjee - , Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD) (Author)

Abstract

Stimuli–responsive mechanoadaptive materials, capable of reversibly changing their mechanical properties when exposed to an external stimulus, are the next generation of smart materials with immense transformative potential for various technological applications. Although the concept of adaptive mechanical properties has been proven for some materials, it remains very challenging for soft elastomeric materials. The aim of this review is to provide new ideas and strategies for the development of mechanoadaptive elastomeric composites using commercial rubber as the matrix polymer. The fundamental question addressed here is as follows: How do the phase-responsive functional fillers alter the mechanical properties? For a given physical network environment, what is the mechanism that gives rise to the stimuli–responsive properties of the resulting composites? Herein, the preparation, structure, and properties of recently developed mechanoadaptive elastomeric materials are summarized. Furthermore, based on their structure–property relationships, plausible applications of these smart materials in various technology-specific applications such as soft robotics, actuators, sensors, smart tires, automotive design, aerospace, etc. are demonstrated with representative examples. Finally, the article critically discusses the existing challenges in the field of mechanoadaptive elastomers in order to provide valuable insights in this area.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number2300584
JournalAdvanced engineering materials
Volume25
Issue number20
Publication statusPublished - Oct 2023
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

ORCID /0000-0003-0967-4557/work/173054864

Keywords

Keywords

  • advanced composites, elastomers, intelligent materials, mechanoadaptive properties, stimuli–responsive