Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Balasubramanian A
PROVIDER: S-EPMC6157739 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Aug
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Balasubramanian Aditya A Standish Mike M Bettinger Christopher J CJ
Advanced functional materials 20140512 30
Macroscopic structures that undergo rapid and reversible stiffness transitions can serve as functional polymeric materials for many applications in robotics and medical devices. Thermomechanical phase transitions can provide a suitable mechanism for transient control of mechanical properties. However, the characteristic time scale for actuation is large and dictated by the dimensions of the structure. Embedding vascular networks within bulk polymers can reduce the characteristic length scale of ...[more]