Smart Electroactive Polymers: Contraction, Expansion, Sensing, and Self-Healing

Explore the fascinating world of smart electroactive polymers in this guest lecture by Professor Cédric Plesse. Delve into the development of innovative materials that can contract, expand, sense, and self-heal, offering exciting possibilities for soft artificial muscles and biomimetic applications. Learn about the principles of macromolecular chemistry behind these polymers and their potential uses in soft robotics, biomedical devices, microsystems, and smart textiles. Discover how these materials differ from traditional actuation technologies and gain insights into ionic polymers, electronic connecting polymers, and polymer networks. Examine integration examples, applications in cell culture, and the compatibility of electroactive materials with biological systems. Understand the concepts of self-healing crosslinked materials and their significance in advancing the field of smart materials.