MIT has developed a synthetic "muscle" that works on water
The new composite material is able to change shape under the influence of moisture. At the same time, he develops a significant effort: a piece of thin film weighing 25 mg is able to lift a glass plate that weighs 380 times more, or to transport a load 10 times heavier than its own weight.
The processes occurring in such a “muscle” resemble the warping of wood with a change in humidity, only they proceed much faster and more efficiently. A film of twenty micrometers in thickness consists of two polymers. One of them serves as an elastic frame, and the second is able to change the volume, absorbing and evaporating water. If you put a sheet of such material on a wet surface, it begins to twist and twist continuously, as its individual sections touch the surface, absorbing moisture, then rise into the air, evaporating it.
This material can be used as a "muscle" that does not require electricity for robots, if the environmental conditions make it possible to create a moisture gradient. The mechanical energy of this material can also be used to generate electricity, for example, by adding a piezoelectric to the composite. This electricity can be enough to power electronics with low consumption. Membranes of this material can be used to create "smart" sports and workwear, equipped with sensors and microcomputers.
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In the longer term, there may be talk of using this polymer to generate electricity for ordinary household appliances, or even creating power stations based on it.
The processes occurring in such a “muscle” resemble the warping of wood with a change in humidity, only they proceed much faster and more efficiently. A film of twenty micrometers in thickness consists of two polymers. One of them serves as an elastic frame, and the second is able to change the volume, absorbing and evaporating water. If you put a sheet of such material on a wet surface, it begins to twist and twist continuously, as its individual sections touch the surface, absorbing moisture, then rise into the air, evaporating it.
This material can be used as a "muscle" that does not require electricity for robots, if the environmental conditions make it possible to create a moisture gradient. The mechanical energy of this material can also be used to generate electricity, for example, by adding a piezoelectric to the composite. This electricity can be enough to power electronics with low consumption. Membranes of this material can be used to create "smart" sports and workwear, equipped with sensors and microcomputers.
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In the longer term, there may be talk of using this polymer to generate electricity for ordinary household appliances, or even creating power stations based on it.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/165637/
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