A D V A N C E D M A T E R I A L S & P R O C E S S E S | J A N U A R Y / F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 3 1 1 SOFT ROBOT SELF-HEALS Combining optical sensors with a composite material, a research team from Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., created a soft robot that can detect when and where it is damaged and respond by healing itself. For years, Cornell’s Organic Robotics Lab has used stretchable fiberoptic sensors to make soft robots and related components— from skin to wearable technology—as nimble and practical as possible. One of the key virtues of fiberoptic technology is that waveguides are still able to propagate light if they are punctured or cut. The researchers combined optical sensors with a polyurethane urea elastomer that incorporated hydrogen bonds for rapid healing and disulfide exchanges for strength. The resulting self-healing light guides for dynamic sensing, or SHeaLDS, provide reliable dynamic sensing, are damage-resistant, and can self-heal from cuts at room temperature without any external intervention. To demonstrate the technology, the team installed SHeaLDS in a soft robot resembling a four-legged starfish, equipped with feedback control. After the researchers punctured one of its legs a total of six times, the robot was able to detect the damage and self-heal each cut in about a minute. The robot could also autonomously adapt its gait based on the damage it sensed. While the material is sturdy, it is not indestructible. Next, the team plans to integrate the SHeaLDS with machine learning algorithms that recognize tactile events to eventually create “a very enduring robot that has a self-healing skin, but uses the same skin to feel its environment to be able to do more tasks.” cornell.edu. CURVED NANOELECTRONICS An international research team involving collaborators from Italy, Germany, the U.K., and China report that exciting developments induced by curvature at the nanoscale allow them to define a completely new field—curved nanoelectronics. From microelectronic devices with enhanced functionality to large-scale nanomembranes consisting of networks of electronic sensors that can provide improved performance, the scientists examined significant development directions in the field of electronic materials with curved geometries at the nanoscale. According to the team, curved solid-state structures have potential applications in innovative electronic, spintronic, and superconducting devices. Curvature effects can also promote, in a semimetallic nanowire, the EMERGING TECHNOLOGY The DOE along with the DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration announced the achievement of fusion ignition at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), a breakthrough that will pave the way for advancements in both national defense and clean power. On Dec. 5, 2022, a team at LLNL’s National Ignition Facility conducted the first controlled fusion experiment in history to reach “scientific energy breakeven,” producing more energy from fusion than the laser energy used to drive it. llnl.gov. BRIEF generation of topological insulating phases that can be exploited in nano- devices relevant for quantum technologies, like quantum metrology. In the case of magnetism, curvilinear geometry directly forges the magnetic exchange by generating an effective magnetic anisotropy, thus prefiguring a high potential for designing magnetism on demand. Contributing researcher Ivan Vera-Marun from the U.K.’s University of Manchester explains that “nanoscale curvature and its associated strain result in remarkable effects in graphene and 2D materials. The development in preparation of high-quality extended thin films, as well as the potential to arbitrarily reshape those architectures after their fabrication, has enabled first experimental insights into how next-generation electronics can be compliant and thus integrable with living matter.” The new work outlines the methods needed to synthesize and characterize curvilinear nanostructures and highlights key areas for future developments of curved nanoelectronics. www.manchester.ac.uk. These flexible solar cells consist of very thin layers and include a compound composed of copper, indium, gallium, and selenium. Courtesy of Empa. This soft robot, equipped with SHeaLDS can detect damage and heal itself. To create fusion ignition, laser energy converts into x-rays in a hohlraum, which then compresses a fuel capsule until it implodes, creating a hightemperature, high-pressure plasma.
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