Advanced light-weight elastomeric nanocomposites for harvesting mechanical energy
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Warwick
Department Name: WMG
Abstract
This aligns with the Materials for Energy Applications research area.
This project will investigate how to develop polymeric nanocomposite materials which exhibit a piezoelectric response so that they may be used for energy harvesting from mechanical vibrations with respect to the application of powering sensors within a transport vehicle. Initially the modification of polar and non-polar polymers will be investigated for use as the nanocomposites. The key properties for the nanocomposites will be the mechanical strength and the dielectric constants. The data obtained will be used to look at how to model the systems using Finite Element Modelling to investigate either the molecular level interactions or the interactions of the continous phase. Mechanical vibrations occurring in transportation vehicles can be absorbed by electroactive nanocomposites to potentially facilitate the mechanical energy harvesting, and transition to electrical energy. This project will design and develop novel graphene-doped hybrid elastomer nanocomposites for mechanical energy harvesting. The effects of nanoparticle surface chemistry, dispersion and interfacial interactions, processing methodologies on the mechanical and piezoelectric response of the nanocomposites will be investigated. Finite Element (FE) models will assist experimental work to provide an insight into the relationship between material composition, morphology, and overall dielectric response of the nanocomposites.
This links to Materials for Energy Applications, and also potentially linked it to Materials Engineering - Composites
This project will investigate how to develop polymeric nanocomposite materials which exhibit a piezoelectric response so that they may be used for energy harvesting from mechanical vibrations with respect to the application of powering sensors within a transport vehicle. Initially the modification of polar and non-polar polymers will be investigated for use as the nanocomposites. The key properties for the nanocomposites will be the mechanical strength and the dielectric constants. The data obtained will be used to look at how to model the systems using Finite Element Modelling to investigate either the molecular level interactions or the interactions of the continous phase. Mechanical vibrations occurring in transportation vehicles can be absorbed by electroactive nanocomposites to potentially facilitate the mechanical energy harvesting, and transition to electrical energy. This project will design and develop novel graphene-doped hybrid elastomer nanocomposites for mechanical energy harvesting. The effects of nanoparticle surface chemistry, dispersion and interfacial interactions, processing methodologies on the mechanical and piezoelectric response of the nanocomposites will be investigated. Finite Element (FE) models will assist experimental work to provide an insight into the relationship between material composition, morphology, and overall dielectric response of the nanocomposites.
This links to Materials for Energy Applications, and also potentially linked it to Materials Engineering - Composites
Publications
Zhang Y
(2019)
Electrical and Mechanical Self-Healing in High-Performance Dielectric Elastomer Actuator Materials
in Advanced Functional Materials
Pitto-Barry A
(2018)
New Class of Hybrid Materials for Detection, Capture, and "On-Demand" Release of Carbon Monoxide.
in ACS applied materials & interfaces
Luo H
(2019)
Interface design for high energy density polymer nanocomposites.
in Chemical Society reviews
Kurup S
(2020)
Shape memory properties of polyethylene/ethylene vinyl acetate /carbon nanotube composites
in Polymer Testing
Huang Y
(2019)
Tailoring the electrical and thermal conductivity of multi-component and multi-phase polymer composites
in International Materials Reviews
Heeley E
(2019)
Self-assembly of fluoride-encapsulated polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) nanocrystals
in CrystEngComm
Ellingford C
(2018)
Intrinsically Tuning the Electromechanical Properties of Elastomeric Dielectrics: A Chemistry Perspective.
in Macromolecular rapid communications
Ellingford C
(2018)
Intrinsic Tuning of Poly(styrene-butadiene-styrene)-Based Self-Healing Dielectric Elastomer Actuators with Enhanced Electromechanical Properties.
in ACS applied materials & interfaces
Ellingford C
(2018)
Mechanical and dielectric properties of MWCNT filled chemically modified SBS/PVDF blends
in Composites Communications
Ellingford C
(2019)
Electrical dual-percolation in MWCNTs/SBS/PVDF based thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) composites and the effect of mechanical stretching
in European Polymer Journal
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP/P510695/1 | 01/10/2016 | 31/12/2021 | |||
| 1793525 | Studentship | EP/P510695/1 | 03/10/2016 | 31/12/2020 | Christopher Ellingford |
| Description | So far, multiple chemically modified elastomers havebeen produced which exhibit superior actuation abilities compared to the unmodified elastomer and also exhibits a self-healing ability. Modification has been approached both intrinsically and extrinsically. Intrinsic modification has resulted in superior mechanical and electrical properties |
| Exploitation Route | The materials display excellent actuation and energy harvesting abilities. Up to 10% actuation strain is observed and up to 11 mJ g-1 of energy can be harvested per cycle. The technology of energy harvesting can be utilised within automotive industry and even construction to implement the harvesting devices within building or under busy roads/walkways. |
| Sectors | Construction,Energy,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology |