Smart materials, also known as stimuli responsive materials, are drawing significant research attention due to their improved reliability, performance, flexibility and miniaturization compared to their traditional counterparts. Electroactive polymers (EAPs) and thermoactive polymers (TAPs) are classes of smart materials that undergo deformation in response to electrical or thermal stimuli. The long-term objective of this program is to develop a hierarchical manufacturing platform for smart materials with tailored multi-functional behaviors (i.e., electro-mechanical, thermo-mechanical, and electro-thermal). The proposed research aims to bridge the gap between the structure of electrically conductive polymers ECPs and 1D and 2D nanoparticles and their manufacturing methodologies. Designing and tailoring the properties of EAP sensory and TAP actuation elements requires a bottom-up approach from self-assembly to a macroscopic hierarchical dual sensor/actuator system through which this smart materials manufacturing platform will be developed. A major application of EAPs/TAPs hybrid is in electronic skins (e-skins), which are flexible, stretchable, and conformable substrates with sensing/actuation capabilities.
Hani Naguib is a Professor at the University of Toronto, and director of the Toronto Institute for Advanced Manufacturing. His major expertise is in the area of manufacturing of programmable material systems including: smart materials, metamaterials, and nanostructured materials. Naguib is the recipient of many honours and awards such as the Canada Research Chair, the Premier’s Early Research Award of Ontario, the Canada Foundation of Innovation, and the faculty Early Teaching Award. He is a Professional Engineer in Canada, a Chartered Engineer in U.K., a Fellow of the Institute of Materials Minerals and Mining IOM3, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers ASME, the Society of Plastics Engineers SPE, the Canadian Society of Mechanical Engineers CSME, and the International Society for Optics and Photonics SPIE. Naguib is serving as Associate Editor for the IOP Journal of Smart Materials and Structures, Journal of Cellular Plastics and Cellular Polymers. The main goal of his research program is to develop sustainable and transformational materials and manufacturing for the health care, energy management and transportation sectors.