589 results about "Smart material" patented technology

The invention relates to an image support medium for creation of an aesthetic image that is a work or object for display. This support medium is made from a smart or intelligent material so that the medium provides or enables formation of an image having at least one aesthetic element that can be responsive, interactive, controlled, changed, programmed, and/or modulated. The support medium can further comprise stimuli, triggers or influences that cause the smart or intelligent material to respond to change shape, size, volume, density, light properties, color, appearance, and/or another physical property of the aesthetic element. In a preferred embodiment, the smart or intelligent material is reversibly responsive to the stimuli, triggers or influences.

The present invention is directed toward devices comprising carbon nanotubes that are capable of detecting displacement, impact, stress, and/or strain in materials, methods of making such devices, methods for sensing/detecting/monitoring displacement, impact, stress, and/or strain via carbon nanotubes, and various applications for such methods and devices. The devices and methods of the present invention all rely on mechanically-induced electronic perturbations within the carbon nanotubes to detect and quantify such stress/strain. Such detection and quantification can rely on techniques which include, but are not limited to, electrical conductivity/conductance and/or resistivity/resistance detection/measurements, thermal conductivity detection/measurements, electroluminescence detection/measurements, photoluminescence detection/measurements, and combinations thereof. All such techniques rely on an understanding of how such properties change in response to mechanical stress and/or strain.

The present invention relates to a design concept by which the power, loads and/or stability of a wind turbine may be controlled by typically fast variation of the geometry of the blades using active geometry control (e.g. smart materials or by embedded mechanical actuators), or using passive geometry control (e.g. changes arising from loading and/or deformation of the blade) or by a combination of the two methods. The invention relates in particular to a wind turbine blade, a wind turbine and a method of controlling a wind turbine.

A medically implantable stent comprising at least one piezo-electric material may be active, such as by one or more of: delivering an anti-coagulant or other therapeutic effect to a patient in which it is implanted; powering itself; and/or sending an outbound electronic signal to a remote device. When a stent can send such an outbound signal, a physician may non-invasively ascertain the condition of the tissue near the stent.

A secure token, possibly in the form of a smartcard, has a smart window with smart materials such as an electrophoretic or an electrochromic layer or assembly. When authenticated, such as by using biometrics or a password, the smart window layer is electronically pulsed, thereby transforming the once opaque layer to transparent and revealing information printed under, on or over the layer, or vice versa, transforming once transparent laminate to opaque and obfuscating printed information. In another embodiment, when the smart window layer is electronically pulsed to transform the once opaque laminate to transparent, a timer is started. At the end of a certain amount of time, the smart window layer is pulsed a second time, thereby transforming the layer back from transparent to opaque.

The invention belongs to the fiber sensing technical field, and specifically relates to a multi-core fiber bragg grating (FBG) universal bending sensor; the multi-core fiber bragg grating (FBG) universal bending sensor is suitable for smart material and structure on-line detection and analysis, can control and monitor space structure space three dimensional positions and attitudes, and is formed by using the multi-core fiber bragg grating (FBG) as the basic sensing unit; the multi-core fiber bragg grating (FBG) universal bending sensor comprises multi-core fibers including one center fiber core, and the resting fiber cores are arranged around the center fiber core in quadrature distribution or symmetrical distribution; each fiber core in the same transverse position of the multi-core fiber uses the same phase mask slice to simultaneously expose the FBG; the central wavelengths of various Bragg gratings on the multi-core fiber are different; the multi-core fiber bragg grating (FBG) universal bending sensor can monitor various reflection wavelength changes of the multi-core FBG, thus measuring the bending amplitude and direction angles.

The invention relates to a self-adapting morphing trailing edge based on SMA, belonging to a self-adapting morphing wing which combines intellectual materials and structures. The wing is divided into 2-5 trailing edge segments, the adjacent trailing edge segments are connected by joints (5, 6 and 7) arranged at wing ribs, a deflection driving mechanism is arranged between the adjacent trailing edge segments, and the deflection of the entire trailing edge is realized by accumulative effects of the trailing edge segments. The self-adapting morphing wing is characterized in that the deflection driving mechanism comprises an upper SMA wire (10), a lower SMA wire (11) and a current excitation unit (15) which are respectively connected with the adjacent trailing edge segments. The self-adapting morphing trailing edge has the advantages of simple structure and easy control and achieves the goal of quick, stable and accurate pre-deformation of the trailing edge.

An underwater bionic lateral line sensing array includes a bionic lateral line array structural body, runner water holes, an inner channel and a plurality of water current and water pressure compositesensors, wherein each water pressure composite sensor includes cilia made of electric reactive polymer smart material, a pressure transducer, electrodes and a pedestal. The bionic lateral line arraystructural body is therein provided with the inner channel in the length direction. The water current and water pressure composite sensors are arranged in the inner channel. The runner water holes communicating with the inner channel are arranged in one side of the bionic lateral line array structural body. The pedestals are arranged in the inner channel. Four electrodes are arranged on each pedestal. Each pedestal is provided with the cilia made of electric reactive polymer smart material and the pressure transducer is arranged on the pedestal. The underwater bionic lateral line sensing arrayhas a fish lateral line simulating system and senses water current and water pressure change at the same time, is high in anti-interference capability, high in sensibility and precision, and can provide measurement basis for accurate sensing of water environment change in the surrounding of a lateral line system.

The invention belongs to the technical field of an intelligent material and particularly relates to a reversible photoinduced deformation liquid crystal high polymer and carbon nano tube composite thin film and a preparation method thereof. A liquid crystal high polymer in the composite thin film is a cross-linked type liquid crystal elastic body containing a photosensitive azobenzene liquid crystal element; and a carbon nano tube is a highly and sequentially oriented carbon nano tube thin film. In the composite thin film, a carbon nano tube orienting structure induces the liquid crystal element to be oriented along the axial direction of the carbon nano tube; and other orienting layers are not needed. When the prepared composite thin film is in ultraviolet illumination, the composite thin film is bent towards lights and can be recovered to the original state when the composite thin film is irradiated by visible lights. Reversible deformation generated by alternatively illuminating the composite thin film by ultraviolet lights and visible lights can be repeated for hundreds of times and has no obvious attenuation and fatigue. Moreover, the introduction of the carbon nano tube greatly enhances the mechanical performance of the material, and the material has excellent electric performance.

The invention relates to a preparation method of a response-temperature-adjustable temperature sensitive hydrogel. The method comprises a step that a hydrogel prepolymerization liquid is polymerized at 0-50DEG C for 1-48h, and the hydrogel prepolymerization liquid comprises a copolymerization monomer, a cross-linking agent, an initiator, a catalyst and deionized water. The method has the advantages of simplicity, low cost, large raw material selection range; and the prepared temperature sensitive hydrogel has the advantages of uniform three-dimensional net structure, excellent mechanical properties, and realization of accurate regulation of the response temperature in a range of 25-90DEG C, and can be widely applied in the intellectual material field.

The invention belongs to the technical field of intelligent materials, and in particular relates to carbon nanotube based stress-discoloring photonic crystal fibers and a preparation method thereof. The preparation method comprises the following steps: winding a height-oriented carbon nanotube as a conducting layer outside stretchable elastic polymer fibers serving as a substrate; depositing polymer microspheres by using an electrophoretic deposition method to form a photonic crystal with a periodic structure; then packaging the photonic crystal in a transparent elastomer; and finally, swelling the transparent elastomer to prepare the stress-discoloring photonic crystal fibers. The structural color of the photonic crystal fibers can be regulated and controlled by virtue of the particle size of the polymer microspheres and the sphere center distances among the microspheres. During stretching and restoring, the structural color of the photonic crystal fibers changes quickly and reversibly and comprises red, green and blue, and the color still changes quickly and stably even though the fibers are stretched for one thousand times. The photonic crystal fibers not only can be woven into many fabrics to show various patterns but also can be used as a sensor.

The invention belongs to the technology for testing the performances of intelligent materials and relates to a research on the performance testing method of an intelligent driver. The performance test-bed of the intelligent driver mainly consists of three systems of a skeleton system (comprising a pedestal, a left guide rail, a right guide rail, the bottom board of a displacement sensor, the bottom board of a screw rod, etc), a force application system ( comprising a handle, a trapezium screw rod seat, a trapezium screw rod, a ball joint boot, the bottom board of a ball joint seat, a piezoelectric force actuator, a force measuring bridge, the bottom board of the bridge, a linear bearing, a buttery spring seat, a battery spring, a spoke type force sensor, etc) and a micro-displacement testing system (comprising a displacement sensor sleeve, a displacement sensor sleeve cover, a displacement sensor, etc); wherein, the skeleton system is the basic supporting part of the test-bed and is used for supporting the force application system, the micro-displacement testing system and the tested intelligent driver; the force application system can apply various forces for the detected force intelligent driver for detecting the load characteristics of the tested intelligent driver; the micro-displacement testing system is used for testing the output displacement (under a free state or a load state) of the tested intelligent driver. As the intelligent driver (mainly including a piezoelectric ceramics driver, a giant magnetostriction driver, a shape memorizing alloy, etc) has small displacement, high precision and high frequency response, the common test-bed can not meet the demands for the performance testing of the intelligent driver, the test-bed for performance testing of the intelligent driver is developed so as to meet the demands for the performance testing of various intelligent drivers.

The invention discloses a method for preparing multi-wall carbon nanotube/polymeric type ionic liquid composite material with controllable hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties. The method comprises: an ionic liquid containing a metacrylic acid ester functional group has polymerization reaction on the surface of a carbon nanotube to form the carbon nanotube coated with polyelectrolyte; hydrophilic and hydrophobic anions are utilized to modulate the dispersibility of the carbon nanotube/polymeric type ionic liquid composite material in an organic solvent and water, thereby realizing the reversible change of the hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties. The preparation process and the preparation method are simple and feasible. The carbon nanotube/polymeric type ionic liquid composite material with the controllable hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties can be applied in the field of catalysis, electrochemistry, novel sensors and intelligent materials.

The present invention relates to a magnetorheological stepless speed changer, and is characterized by that it includes inner rotor fixedly connected with input shaft, excitation coil fixed in the interior, outer rotor supported on the input shaft by means of two end bearings and working medium magnetorheological fluid filled in the V-shaped working gap between inner rotor and outer rotor, in which the input torque and rotating speed can be passed through input shaft and inner rotor and can utilize the magnetorheological effect produced by means of magnetorheological fluid working medium under the action of coil field to produce force moment transferring action so as to implement stepless changed load torque and rotating speed output by outer rotor.

The invention discloses a luminescent material having aggregation-induced emission, a method of making and an application thereof. The luminescent material herein has properties of aggregation-induced emission (AIE)/aggregation-enhanced emission (AEE) with the maximum absorption wavelength red shift to a visible area so that this type of luminescent material has the potential applications in the field of biology and photoelectricity. The luminescent material herein also has excellent optical waveguide property with an optical loss lower to 0.100dB/[mu]m, and is applicable to produce optical waveguide materials and also applicable to organic light emitting diodes. The luminescent material herein also has the characteristic of mechanochromism and reversible mechanochromism, thus having potential application in the aspect of smart materials.

The invention belongs to the technical field of intelligent materials and particularly provides a material with schemochrome and capable of being induced to change color through stress and a preparation method of the material. According to the method, dispersion liquid of a polymeric microsphere of a core-shell structure provided with a hard inner core and a soft outer shell serves as treating liquid, objects of various shapes and materials serve as substrates, the surfaces of the objects are coated with the dispersion liquid of the polymeric microsphere in a dipping mode, the objects with the schemochrome are obtained, and the color can be changed according to the external environment, such as the stress change. The color change is fast and reversible, the whole visible light region, even the ultraviolet and infrared spectral region can be included. The material with the schemochrome and capable of being prepared simply, fast and in batches can be used in the field of displays, sensitive materials and textile industries, for example, photonic crystal fibers prepared with elastic fibers as substrates can be woven into fabric bright in color, and by means of the fabric, color change in the movement process can be achieved.

This invention relates to a method for preparing opal/polyurethane solid-solid phase transition energy-storage material. The molecular structure of the material is shown in formula I, where, poly (ethylene glycol) is the soft segment, while aliphatic and aromatic isocyanate, and trihydroxyl substance are the hard segments. The method comprises: (1) preparing prepolymer of poly (ethylene glycol) with terminal groups activated by isocyanate groups; (2) preparing opal/polyurethane solid-solid phase transition energy-storage material. The method has such advantages as low raw material cost, no toxicity of the product, and simple process. The addition of natural nanomaterial (opal) can increase the phase transition enthalpy value and heat response rate of the material, and can reduce the cost. The opal/polyurethane solid-solid phase transition energy-storage material can effectively save energy, and has potential applications in such fields as agriculture, energy resources, textile, construction and electronics.

An inlet, positioned to access the flow of air passing around and under a moving vehicle, may draw in air which is conveyed through a duct and discharged to cool a brake on a vehicle. The inlet has a closure. The closure is opened and closed on demand by a temperature-operated actuator incorporating an active or smart material under the direction of a controller. In embodiments, a sensor, suitably positioned to sense a temperature representative of the brake temperature, communicates the sensed brake temperature to the controller. The controller may respond to the sensed brake temperature, by triggering operation of the actuator. Typically the closure is opened to allow passage of cooling air to the brake when the sensed brake temperature exceeds, or is anticipated to exceed, a predetermined temperature.

Disclosed is an underwater robot based on flapping comprising: an actuator including a smart material and directional material, wherein the smart material is changed in its shape according to an external signal, and the directional material restricts a deformation in a specific direction; a body connected with the actuator; and a controller which makes the actuator perform a first stroke in a direction, and a second stroke in another direction being different from that of the first stroke; wherein the actuator performs at least one deformation of bending and twisting according to position of the smart material and directionality of the directional material, and furthermore enables to simultaneously perform the smooth bending and twisting motion with the simple structure by adjusting the position of the smart material functioning as the active component, and the directionality of the directional material functioning as the passive component.

The invention relates to a 2-2 type cement base piezoelectric composite material which belongs to an intelligent material in the civil engineering field. The composite material is manufactured by the following method: polarizing a cuboid piezoelectric ceramic block; using a slicer to sequentially cut out a series of piezoelectric ceramic pieces along the direction parallel to a piezoelectric ceramic polaxis and pouring cement according to a certain cement water ratio; after finishing the pouring, putting both a sample and a mould in a vacuum drying box for carrying out vacuum processing; putting the sample in a maintenance box for maintenance; and uniformly coating low-temperature conductive silver ink or plating an electrode on the two surfaces after two parallel surfaces are respectively sanded and polished so as to prepare the 2-2 type cement base piezoelectric composite material. The 2-2 type cement base piezoelectric composite material has the advantages of good piezoelectric performance and compatibility with concrete, integration of sensing and driving, good durability, simple preparation process, low cost, and the like.

The present invention relates to the synthesis of aerogel composites and utilizes shape-memory polyurethane cross-linkers as a method of improving the compressive and flexural load bearing capabilities of the aerogel composites. The shape memory polyurethane crosslinkers provide flexible connectors between the silica particle in the aerogel structure and can accept large compressive and flexural loads without breakage of the aerogel networks. In addition the shape memory properties of polyurethane cross-linkers offers additional advantages such as ease of storage in deformed state of the composites. In one embodiment, the present invention relates to shape memory polymer formulations that can be used specifically to obtain higher compressive and/or flexural strengths and smart material characteristics of crosslinked aerogel composites.