We present the development and applications of dielectric elastomers. For the last 10 years the significance of this class of polymers has risen as more applications seem possible and first products have been commercialized.

Due to their versatile properties, robust behavior, facile processability and low cost, organic polymers have become the material of choice for an increasing number of mature and cutting-edge technologies. In the last decade or so, a new class of polymers capable of responding to external electrical stimulation by displaying significant size or shape change has emerged. These responsive materia...

The use of polymeric materials has become very popular since last thirty years in many applications. The materials in this category can be broadly divided into two categories i.e. thermo bTcP]ScWTa _[PbcXRbIXcWX]RaTPbX]VcWTfa[SobR]RTa]PQdcaTRhR[PQX[XchP]ST]eXa] T]c protection issues thermoplastics have gained more attraction over the thermo set. Thermoplastic elastomers are novel constructional...

Citric-acid-derived thermally cross-linked biodegradable elastomers (CABEs) have recently received significant attention in various biomedical applications, including tissue-engineering orthopedic devices, bioimaging and implant coatings. However, citric-acid-derived photo-cross-linked biodegradable elastomers are rarely reported. Herein, we report a novel photo-cross-linked biodegradable elast...

In nature, robust interfacial adhesion plays crucial roles in maintaining integration and functionality of various physiological structures including tendon and cartilage to bones and epidermis to dermis in mammalian skins. For instance, the bonding of tendon and cartilage to bone is extremely tough (e.g., interfacial toughness ~800 Jm 2 ), yet such tough interfaces have not been achieved betwe...

Sealing high pressure gases with elastomers is a problem as elastomers are essentially a supercondensed gas. The primary interactions (type of gas, heat, pressure) and secondary interactions (water, inhibitors, etc.) that lead to seal failures are reviewed and discussed. The high pressure raises the gas density, and this causes the gases to have extraordinary solvent power (2,3,4,5). The totall...

1 Types of Fillers 1 2 Mixing and Dispersion 2 3 Rheology and Modulus of Filled Rubber 3 3.1 Hydrodynamic Effect 4 3.2 Rubber–Filler Interaction 4 3.3 Filler–Filler Interaction (Particle Network Formation) 5 4 Mechanical Hysteresis 5 4.1 Dynamic Properties 6 4.2 Strain Softening and the Mullins Effect 7 5 Failure Properties of Filled Rubber 7 6 Summary 9 Acknowledgment 9 References 9 Further Re...

PREFACE Liquid crystals are unusual materials. As their name suggests, they inhabit the grey area between liquids and solids. They have long range orientational order, typically of the unique axes of their component rod-like or plate molecules. Spatial variations of this average direction of molecular orientation are resisted by so-called curvature (Frank) elasticity. On the other hand liquid c...