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In this work, multiferroic cantilevers comprise a layer of a magnetoactive elastomer (MAE) and a commercially available piezoelectric polymer-based vibration sensor. The structures are fixed at one end in the horizontal plane and the magnetic field is applied vertically. First, the magnetoelectric (ME) response to uniform, triangle-wave magnetic fields with five different slew rates is investigated experimentally. Time and field dependences of the generated voltage, electric charge, and observed mechanical deflection are obtained and compared for four different thicknesses of the MAE layer. The ME responses to triangular and sinusoidal wave excitations are examined in contrast. Second, the ME response at low frequencies (≤3 Hz) is studied by the standard method of harmonic magnetic field modulation. The highest ME coupling coefficient is observed in the bias magnetic field strength of ≈73 kA/m and it is estimated to be about 3.3 ns/m (ME voltage coefficient ≈ 25 V/A) at theoretically vanishing modulation frequency (f→0 Hz). Presented results demonstrate that the investigated heterostructures are promising for applications as magnetic-field sensors and energy harvesting devices.
A surface relief grating with a period of 30 mu m is embossed onto the surface of magnetoactive elastomer (MAE) samples in the presence of a moderate magnetic field of about 180 mT. The grating, which is represented as a set of parallel stripes with two different amplitude reflectivity coefficients, is detected via diffraction of a laser beam in the reflection configuration. Due to the magnetic-field-induced plasticity effect, the grating persists on the MAE surface for at least 90 h if the magnetic field remains present. When the magnetic field is removed, the diffraction efficiency vanishes in a few minutes. The described effect is much more pronounced in MAE samples with larger content of iron filler (80 wt%) than in the samples with lower content of iron filler (70 wt%). A simple theoretical model is proposed to describe the observed dependence of the diffraction efficiency on the applied magnetic field. Possible applications of MAEs as magnetically reconfigurable diffractive optical elements are discussed. It is proposed that the described experimental method can be used as a convenient tool for investigations of the dynamics of magnetically induced plasticity of MAEs on the micrometer scale.
Magnetoactive elastomers (MAEs) are promising materials for realization of magnetic field-controlled soft actuators. Herein, a systematic investigation of magnetic field-induced macroscopic deformations of soft MAE cylinders with a diameter of 15 mm in uniform quasi-static magnetic fields directed parallel to the cylinder’s axis is reported. The measurements were based on image processing. Thirty-six MAE samples differing in the weight fraction of the iron filler (70 wt%, 75 wt% and 80 wt%), alignment of filling particles, and the aspect ratio (0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0 and 1.2) were fabricated. MAE cylinders exhibited high relative change in height (up to 35% in the field of 485 kA/m) and lateral contraction. The dependence of the maximum extensional strain on the aspect ratio was obtained and compared with theoretical considerations. A concave dent was formed on the free circular base in magnetic fields. This concavity was characterized experimentally. A significant volumetric strain of the order of magnitude of 10% was calculated in MAEs for the first time. In consequently repeated magnetization cycles, the remanent extensional strain significantly increased after each cycle. The results are qualitatively discussed in the framework of the modern views on the magnetically induced macroscopic deformations of MAEs. The directions of further research are outlined.
Herein, the effect of an applied moderate (~240 mT) magnetic field on the work of adhesion (WoA) of mechanically soft (the shear modulus ~10 kPa) magnetoactive elastomer (MAE) samples with two different mass fractions (70 and 80 wt%) of carbonyl iron powder (CIP) is concerned. The unfilled elastomer sample is used for comparison. Due to some sedimentation of filling particles, the concentration of inclusions in thin (~10 μm) subsurface layers is different. It is shown that the WoA increases (up to 1.8-fold) on the particle-enriched side (PES) in the magnetic field and its value is higher for higher filler concentration. On the particle-depleted side (PDS), WoA does not depend on particle concentration and on the magnetic field. Adhesion and friction are coupled in MAEs. No statistically significant difference in the friction coefficient, determined from the extended Amontons´ law, depending on sample side, CIP concentration, or presence of magnetic field is found. However, the PDS in the magnetic field demonstrates significantly higher critical shear stress compared to that for the PES or PDS in the absence of magnetic field. Correlations between different surface properties are discussed. Obtained results are useful for the development of magnetically controllable soft robots.
A simple method for structuring of the surface of a magnetoactive elastomer (MAE) on the tens of micrometers scale, which capabilities extend beyond conventional mold-based polymer casting, is reported. The method relies on the ablation of the material by absorption of nanosecond infrared pulses from a commercial laser. It is shown that it is possible to fabricate parallel lamellar structures with a high aspect ratio (up to 6:1) as well as structures with complex scanning trajectories. The method is fast (fabrication time for the 7 × 7 mm2 is about 60 s), and the results are highly reproducible. To illustrate the capabilities of the fabrication method, both orthogonal to the MAE surface and tilted lamellar structures are fabricated. These magnetosensitive lamellae can be easily bent by ±45° using an external magnetic field of about 230 mT. It is demonstrated that this bending allows one to control the sliding angle of water droplets in a great range between a sticky (>90°) and a sliding state (<20°). Perspectives on employing this fabrication technology for magnetosensitive smart surfaces in microfluidic devices and soft robotics are discussed.
The significant effect of an external dc magnetic field on the splashing behavior of ethanol drops impacting on the unstructured (flat) surface of soft magnetoactive elastomers (MAEs) is reported. The Weber number corresponding to the transition between the deposition and the splashing regime is reduced by ≈20% in a moderate magnetic field of ≈300 mT. Alongside this effect, a two-fold increase of the initial deceleration of the ejection sheet is observed for the softest sample. The main underlying mechanism for the observed phenomena is believed to be the magnetic-field-induced stiffening of the MAEs. Further possible mechanisms are magnetically induced changes in the surface roughness and magnetic-field-induced plasticity (magnetic shape memory effect). The potential application areas are magnetically regulable wetting and magneto-responsive surfaces for controlling the drop splashing.
Adaptive surface microstructures are used extensively in nature to control various surface properties such as wettability, adhesion, self-cleaning, drag reduction, etc. Regulation of these properties can be achieved with the appropriate employment of a multitude of smart materials, whose characteristics/response can be controlled by noncontact stimuli, e.g., light, heat, or magnetic field. One of the very promising magneto-regulable smart materials are magnetoactive elastomers (MAEs). They are comprised of a compliant polymer matrix with embedded micrometer-sized ferromagnetic particles. The particles interact with each other and a magnetic field. This results in remarkable tunability of the physical properties of MAEs. This paper reports a fast, resilient, and tailored method for direct surface micromachining of MAEs that enables micro-structuring without mechanical contact between the tool and the material, bypassing the usual constraints of conventional fabrication methods. It is shown that it is possible to fabricate a large variety of different microstructure geometries whose precision is limited predominantly by the size of magnetic particles. Lamellar structures with a high aspect ratio (up to 6:1) oriented either perpendicularly to the surface, can be strongly bent by applying magnetic fields in the range of 0–250 mT.