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Advances in Smart Materials and Structures
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Advances in Smart Materials and Structures

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Smart Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 March 2023) | Viewed by 25819

Printed Edition Available!
A printed edition of this Special Issue is available here.

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Bing Wang

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Guest Editor
Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Terahertz Functional Devices and Intelligent Sensing, School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, China
Interests: polymer composites; smart structures; mechanics; multiscale analysis; elasticity & viscoelasticity; non-destructive testing & evaluation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Tung Lik Lee

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Harwell Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0QX, UK
Interests: neutron diffraction; residual stress; metal and alloy; spray forming; dissimilar metals
Dr. Yang Qin

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Civil Aviation, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an 710072, China
Interests: composite manufacturing; damage mechanisms of materials; functional materials; mechanics of materials; environmentally friendly materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Smart materials and structures are capable of active or passive changes in terms of shapes (geometries), properties, mechanical or electromagnetic responses, in reaction to an external stimulus, such as light, temperature, stress, moisture, pH, electric or magnetic fields. They have attracted increasing interest for their enhanced performance and efficiency over a wide range of industrial applications, especially in aerospace. These applications require novel engineering approaches and design philosophy in order to integrate the actions of sensors, actuators, and control circuit elements into a single system that can respond adaptively to the surroundings. 

In this Special Issue, we focus on cutting-edge research and recent advances in smart materials and structures, by all means of theoretical, experimental, and numerical analysis. We encourage submissions of original research papers, short communications, as well as review articles. We hope that this Special Issue will contribute to disseminating the latest progress in this field, as well as stimulating the interest of its audiences to work in this important and vibrant area to promote and benefit the multidisciplinary scientific communities. 

Potential topics for submissions include but are not limited to:

  • Smart materials, such as shape memory alloys and polymers, piezoelectric, ferroelectric, electrorheological, magnetorheological materials, self-healing materials, multifunctional materials, as well as novel hierarchical materials;
  • Morphing structures, such as adaptive structures, bioinspired materials and structures, active or passive structures, energy-harvesting systems, origami structures, deployable structures, pattern-driven structures, etc.;
  • Smart materials or structures used as actuators, transducers, or sensors, covering signal processing methods, intelligent sensing and diagnosis, structural health monitoring, etc.;
  • Performance measurement and control mechanisms, structural mechanics, multiscale (micro-, meso- and/or macro-scale) characterization and analysis through destructive or non-destructive testing and evaluation techniques;
  • Advanced manufacturing and evaluation of novel materials and structures.

Prof. Dr. Bing Wang
Dr. Tung Lik Lee
Dr. Yang Qin
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • smart
  • materials
  • structures
  • mechanics
  • morphing
  • intelligent sensing and diagnosis
  • structural health monitoring
  • multiscale analysis
  • elasticity and viscoelasticity
  • finite element analysis

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (11 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research, Review

3 pages, 174 KiB  
Editorial
Advances in Smart Materials and Structures
by Bing Wang, Tung Lik Lee and Yang Qin
Materials 2023, 16(22), 7206; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16227206 - 17 Nov 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1260
Abstract
Smart materials and structures are capable of active or passive changes in terms of shapes (geometries), properties, and mechanical or electromagnetic responses, in reaction to an external stimulus, such as light, temperature, stress, moisture, and electric or magnetic fields [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Smart Materials and Structures)

Research

Jump to: Editorial, Review

15 pages, 6337 KiB  
Article
Design and 3D Printing of Stretchable Conductor with High Dynamic Stability
by Chao Liu, Yuwei Wang, Shengding Wang, Xiangling Xia, Huiyun Xiao, Jinyun Liu, Siqi Hu, Xiaohui Yi, Yiwei Liu, Yuanzhao Wu, Jie Shang and Run-Wei Li
Materials 2023, 16(8), 3098; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16083098 - 14 Apr 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1592
Abstract
As an indispensable part of wearable devices and mechanical arms, stretchable conductors have received extensive attention in recent years. The design of a high-dynamic-stability, stretchable conductor is the key technology to ensure the normal transmission of electrical signals and electrical energy of wearable [...] Read more.
As an indispensable part of wearable devices and mechanical arms, stretchable conductors have received extensive attention in recent years. The design of a high-dynamic-stability, stretchable conductor is the key technology to ensure the normal transmission of electrical signals and electrical energy of wearable devices under large mechanical deformation, which has always been an important research topic domestically and abroad. In this paper, a stretchable conductor with a linear bunch structure is designed and prepared by combining numerical modeling and simulation with 3D printing technology. The stretchable conductor consists of a 3D-printed bunch-structured equiwall elastic insulating resin tube and internally filled free-deformable liquid metal. This conductor has a very high conductivity exceeding 104 S cm−1, good stretchability with an elongation at break exceeding 50%, and great tensile stability, with a relative change in resistance of only about 1% at 50% tensile strain. Finally, this paper demonstrates it as a headphone cable (transmitting electrical signals) and a mobile phone charging wire (transmitting electrical energy), which proves its good mechanical and electrical properties and shows good application potential. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Smart Materials and Structures)
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27 pages, 54752 KiB  
Article
A Novel Measurement Approach to Experimentally Determine the Thermomechanical Properties of a Gas Foil Bearing Using a Specialized Sensing Foil Made of Inconel Alloy
by Adam Martowicz, Jakub Roemer, Paweł Zdziebko, Grzegorz Żywica, Paweł Bagiński and Artur Andrearczyk
Materials 2023, 16(1), 145; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16010145 - 23 Dec 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1389
Abstract
Modern approaches dedicated to controlling the operation of gas foil bearings require advanced measurement techniques to comprehensively investigate the bearings’ thermal and thermomechanical properties. Their successful long-term maintenance with constant operational characteristics may be feasible only when the allowed thermal and mechanical regimes [...] Read more.
Modern approaches dedicated to controlling the operation of gas foil bearings require advanced measurement techniques to comprehensively investigate the bearings’ thermal and thermomechanical properties. Their successful long-term maintenance with constant operational characteristics may be feasible only when the allowed thermal and mechanical regimes are rigorously kept. Hence, an adequate acquisition of experimental readings for the critical physical quantities should be conducted to track the actual condition of the bearing. The above-stated demand has motivated the authors of this present work to perform the thermomechanical characterization of the prototype installation of a gas foil bearing, applying a specialized sensing foil. This so-called top foil is a component of the structural part of the bearing’s supporting layer and composed of a superalloy, Inconel 625. The strain and temperature distributions were identified based on the readings from the strain gauges and integrated thermocouples mounted on the top foil. The measurements’ results were obtained for the experiments that represent the arbitrarily selected operational conditions of the tested bearing. Specifically, the considered measurement scenario relates to the operation at a nominal rotational speed, i.e., during the stable process, as well as to the run-up and run-out stages. The main objectives of the work are: (a) experimental proof for the described functionalities of the designed and manufactured specialized sensing foil that allow for the application of a novel approach to the bearing’s characterization, and (b) qualitative investigation of the relation between the mechanical and thermal properties of the tested bearing, using the measurements conducted with the newly proposed technical solution. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Smart Materials and Structures)
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12 pages, 3658 KiB  
Article
Rapid-Response and Wide-Range pH Sensors Enabled by Self-Assembled Functional PAni/PAA Layer on No-Core Fiber
by Gang Long, Liang Wan, Binyun Xia, Chao Zhao, Kunpeng Niu, Jianguo Hou, Dajuan Lyu, Litong Li, Fangdong Zhu and Ning Wang
Materials 2022, 15(21), 7449; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15217449 - 24 Oct 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1487
Abstract
The measurement of pH has received great attention in diverse fields, such as clinical diagnostics, environmental protection, and food safety. Optical fiber sensors are widely used for pH sensing because of their great advantages. In this work, an optical fiber pH sensor is [...] Read more.
The measurement of pH has received great attention in diverse fields, such as clinical diagnostics, environmental protection, and food safety. Optical fiber sensors are widely used for pH sensing because of their great advantages. In this work, an optical fiber pH sensor is fabricated, by combining the merits of the multimode interference configuration and pH-sensitive polyaniline/polyacrylic acid (PAni/PAA) coatings, which was successfully in situ deposited on the no-core fiber (NCF) by the layer-by-layer (LBL) self-assembly method. The sensors’ performance was experimentally characterized when used for pH detection. It has a high sensitivity of 0.985 nm/pH and a great linear response in a universal pH range of 2–12. The response time and recovery time is measured to be less than 10 s. In addition, its temperature sensitivity is tested to be about 0.01 nm/°C with a low temperature crosstalk effect, which makes it promising for detecting pH in the liquid phase with temperature variation. The sensors also demonstrated easy fabrication, good stability, and repeatability, which are adapted to pH detection in most practical applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Smart Materials and Structures)
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17 pages, 7985 KiB  
Article
Research on Vibration Control Technology of Robot Motion Based on Magnetorheological Elastomer
by Xuegong Huang, Yutong Zhai and Guisong He
Materials 2022, 15(18), 6479; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15186479 - 18 Sep 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1852
Abstract
The vibration and impact of a humanoid bipedal robot during movements such as walking, running and jumping may cause potential damage to the robot’s mechanical joints and electrical systems. In this paper, a composite bidirectional vibration isolator based on magnetorheological elastomer (MRE) is [...] Read more.
The vibration and impact of a humanoid bipedal robot during movements such as walking, running and jumping may cause potential damage to the robot’s mechanical joints and electrical systems. In this paper, a composite bidirectional vibration isolator based on magnetorheological elastomer (MRE) is designed for the cushioning and damping of a humanoid bipedal robot under foot contact forces. In addition, the vibration isolation performance of the vibration isolator was tested experimentally, and then, a vibration isolator dynamics model was developed. For the bipedal robot foot impact, based on the vibration isolator model, three vibration reduction control algorithms are simulated, and the results show that the vibration damping effect can reach 85%. Finally, the MRE vibration isolator hardware-in-the-loop-simulation experiment platform based on dSPACE has been built to verify the vibration reduction control effect of the fuzzy PID algorithm. The result shows the vibration amplitude attenuates significantly, and this verifies the effectiveness of the fuzzy PID damping control algorithm. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Smart Materials and Structures)
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8 pages, 9530 KiB  
Article
Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Co32Cr28Ni32.94Al4.06Ti3 High-Entropy Alloy
by Jinquan Guo, Chaozhongzheng Tang and Huan Sheng Lai
Materials 2022, 15(4), 1444; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15041444 - 15 Feb 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1893
Abstract
High-entropy alloys have good application prospects in nuclear power plants due to their excellent mechanical properties and radiation resistance. In this paper, the microstructure of the Co32Cr28Ni32.94Al4.06Ti3 high-entropy alloy was [...] Read more.
High-entropy alloys have good application prospects in nuclear power plants due to their excellent mechanical properties and radiation resistance. In this paper, the microstructure of the Co32Cr28Ni32.94Al4.06Ti3 high-entropy alloy was researched using metallurgical microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy. The mechanical properties were tested using a Vickers microhardness tester and a tensile testing machine, respectively. The results showed that Co32Cr28Ni32.94Al4.06Ti3 had a single-phase, disordered, face-centered, cubic solid-solution structure and was strengthened by solid solution. The alloy lattice parameter and density were estimated as 0.304 nm and 7.89 g/cm3, respectively. The test results indicated that the alloy had satisfactory mechanical properties with yield stress and tensile strength of about 530 MPa and 985 MPa, respectively. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Smart Materials and Structures)
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23 pages, 17664 KiB  
Article
Improving Aeroelastic Stability of Bladed Disks with Topologically Optimized Piezoelectric Materials and Intentionally Mistuned Shunt Capacitance
by Xin Liu, Yu Fan, Lin Li and Xiaoping Yu
Materials 2022, 15(4), 1309; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15041309 - 10 Feb 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1642
Abstract
It is well known that bladed disks with certain patterns of mistuning can have higher aeroelastic stability than their tuned counterparts. This requires small but accurate deviation of the mechanical properties on each blade sector, and currently it is difficult to realize by [...] Read more.
It is well known that bladed disks with certain patterns of mistuning can have higher aeroelastic stability than their tuned counterparts. This requires small but accurate deviation of the mechanical properties on each blade sector, and currently it is difficult to realize by mechanical manufacturing. In this paper, we propose an adaptive strategy to realize the intentional mistuning for the improvement of aeroelastic stability. The basic idea is to bond or embed piezoelectric materials to each blade and use different shunt capacitance on each blade as the source of mistuning. When the shunt capacitance varies from zero (open-circuit, OC) to infinity (short-circuit, SC), the stiffness of each blade changes within a relatively small interval. In this way, the required small difference of stiffness among blades is altered into a relatively larger difference of the shunt capacitance. This provides a more feasible and robust way to implement the intentional mistuning, provided that the variation interval of blade stiffness between OC and SC contains the limits of required mistuning. Thus, it is critical to maximize the ability of changing the blade stiffness by shunt capacitance with limited amount of piezoelectric materials. To do so, a straightforward approach is proposed to get the best distribution of piezoelectric materials on the blade for the targeting mode. This approach is based on the FE model of the bladed disc, and the piezoelectric materials are introduced by replacing elements (if they are embedded) or adding an extra layer of elements (if they are bonded). An empirical balded disc with NASA-ROTOR37 profile is used as the example. With a proper design of the mistuning pattern and replace use piezoelectric materials of only 10% the blade mass, the proposed method can significantly improve the aeroelastic stability of bladed disks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Smart Materials and Structures)
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23 pages, 8645 KiB  
Article
Damage Detection in Flat Panels by Guided Waves Based Artificial Neural Network Trained through Finite Element Method
by Donato Perfetto, Alessandro De Luca, Marco Perfetto, Giuseppe Lamanna and Francesco Caputo
Materials 2021, 14(24), 7602; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14247602 - 10 Dec 2021
Cited by 31 | Viewed by 2587
Abstract
Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) have rapidly emerged as a promising tool to solve damage identification and localization problem, according to a Structural Health Monitoring approach. Finite Element (FE) Analysis can be extremely helpful, especially for reducing the laborious experimental campaign costs for the [...] Read more.
Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) have rapidly emerged as a promising tool to solve damage identification and localization problem, according to a Structural Health Monitoring approach. Finite Element (FE) Analysis can be extremely helpful, especially for reducing the laborious experimental campaign costs for the ANN development and training phases. The aim of the present work is to propose a guided wave-based ANN, developed through the use of the Finite Element Method, to determine the position of damages. The paper first addresses the development and assessment of the modeling technique. The FE model accuracy was proven through the comparison of the predicted results with experimental and analytical data. Then, the ANN was developed and trained on an aluminum plate and subsequently verified in a composite plate, as well as under different damage configurations. According to the results herein proposed, the ANN allowed to detect and localize damages with a high level of accuracy in all cases of study. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Smart Materials and Structures)
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Review

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16 pages, 6260 KiB  
Review
Biomimetic Venus Flytrap Structures Using Smart Composites: A Review
by Bing Wang, Yi Hou, Shuncong Zhong, Juncheng Zhu and Chenglong Guan
Materials 2023, 16(20), 6702; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16206702 - 16 Oct 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2284
Abstract
Biomimetic structures are inspired by elegant and complex architectures of natural creatures, drawing inspiration from biological structures to achieve specific functions or improve specific strength and modulus to reduce weight. In particular, the rapid closure of a Venus flytrap leaf is one of [...] Read more.
Biomimetic structures are inspired by elegant and complex architectures of natural creatures, drawing inspiration from biological structures to achieve specific functions or improve specific strength and modulus to reduce weight. In particular, the rapid closure of a Venus flytrap leaf is one of the fastest motions in plants, its biomechanics does not rely on muscle tissues to produce rapid shape-changing, which is significant for engineering applications. Composites are ubiquitous in nature and are used for biomimetic design due to their superior overall performance and programmability. Here, we focus on reviewing the most recent progress on biomimetic Venus flytrap structures based on smart composite technology. An overview of the biomechanics of Venus flytrap is first introduced, in order to reveal the underlying mechanisms. The smart composite technology was then discussed by covering mainly the principles and driving mechanics of various types of bistable composite structures, followed by research progress on the smart composite-based biomimetic flytrap structures, with a focus on the bionic strategies in terms of sensing, responding and actuation, as well as the rapid snap-trapping, aiming to enrich the diversities and reveal the fundamentals in order to further advance the multidisciplinary science and technological development into composite bionics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Smart Materials and Structures)
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23 pages, 9369 KiB  
Review
Recent Advances in Electro-Optic Response of Polymer-Stabilized Cholesteric Liquid Crystals
by Kyung Min Lee, Zachary M. Marsh, Ecklin P. Crenshaw, Urice N. Tohgha, Cedric P. Ambulo, Steven M. Wolf, Kyle J. Carothers, Hannah N. Limburg, Michael E. McConney and Nicholas P. Godman
Materials 2023, 16(6), 2248; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16062248 - 10 Mar 2023
Cited by 21 | Viewed by 3084
Abstract
Cholesteric liquid crystals (CLC) are molecules that can self-assemble into helicoidal superstructures exhibiting circularly polarized reflection. The facile self-assembly and resulting optical properties makes CLCs a promising technology for an array of industrial applications, including reflective displays, tunable mirror-less lasers, optical storage, tunable [...] Read more.
Cholesteric liquid crystals (CLC) are molecules that can self-assemble into helicoidal superstructures exhibiting circularly polarized reflection. The facile self-assembly and resulting optical properties makes CLCs a promising technology for an array of industrial applications, including reflective displays, tunable mirror-less lasers, optical storage, tunable color filters, and smart windows. The helicoidal structure of CLC can be stabilized via in situ photopolymerization of liquid crystal monomers in a CLC mixture, resulting in polymer-stabilized CLCs (PSCLCs). PSCLCs exhibit a dynamic optical response that can be induced by external stimuli, including electric fields, heat, and light. In this review, we discuss the electro-optic response and potential mechanism of PSCLCs reported over the past decade. Multiple electro-optic responses in PSCLCs with negative or positive dielectric anisotropy have been identified, including bandwidth broadening, red and blue tuning, and switching the reflection notch when an electric field is applied. The reconfigurable optical response of PSCLCs with positive dielectric anisotropy is also discussed. That is, red tuning (or broadening) by applying a DC field and switching by applying an AC field were both observed for the first time in a PSCLC sample. Finally, we discuss the potential mechanism for the dynamic response in PSCLCs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Smart Materials and Structures)
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22 pages, 2912 KiB  
Review
Textile-Based Mechanical Sensors: A Review
by Zaiwei Zhou, Nuo Chen, Hongchuan Zhong, Wanli Zhang, Yue Zhang, Xiangyu Yin and Bingwei He
Materials 2021, 14(20), 6073; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14206073 - 14 Oct 2021
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3804
Abstract
Innovations related to textiles-based sensors have drawn great interest due to their outstanding merits of flexibility, comfort, low cost, and wearability. Textile-based sensors are often tied to certain parts of the human body to collect mechanical, physical, and chemical stimuli to identify and [...] Read more.
Innovations related to textiles-based sensors have drawn great interest due to their outstanding merits of flexibility, comfort, low cost, and wearability. Textile-based sensors are often tied to certain parts of the human body to collect mechanical, physical, and chemical stimuli to identify and record human health and exercise. Until now, much research and review work has been carried out to summarize and promote the development of textile-based sensors. As a feature, we focus on textile-based mechanical sensors (TMSs), especially on their advantages and the way they achieve performance optimizations in this review. We first adopt a novel approach to introduce different kinds of TMSs by combining sensing mechanisms, textile structure, and novel fabricating strategies for implementing TMSs and focusing on critical performance criteria such as sensitivity, response range, response time, and stability. Next, we summarize their great advantages over other flexible sensors, and their potential applications in health monitoring, motion recognition, and human-machine interaction. Finally, we present the challenges and prospects to provide meaningful guidelines and directions for future research. The TMSs play an important role in promoting the development of the emerging Internet of Things, which can make health monitoring and everyday objects connect more smartly, conveniently, and comfortably efficiently in a wearable way in the coming years. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Smart Materials and Structures)
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