Materials with Dynamically Tunable Mechanical Properties: Switching Stiffness and Adhesion on Demand

December 10, 2024
Stoney's British Pub

3007 Concord Pike
Wilmington, DE

7:30pm

Kevin T. Turner
University of Pennsylvania
“Materials with Dynamically Tunable Mechanical Properties: Switching Stiffness and Adhesion on Demand”
 

Typically, we think about the mechanical properties of materials, such as stiffness, strength, and adhesion, as static properties that can only be changed by choosing a different material. If you need a material that is stiff, you might choose a metal or ceramic. If you need a material that is soft, you might select a foam or a rubber. However, in some applications, new functionality can be enabled by materials with mechanical properties that change in response to a stimulus, such as an electrical signal. In this Science Café, we will look at how we can engineer materials with dynamically tunable stiffness and switchable adhesion, as well as applications of these materials in fields such as robotics and wearable medical devices.