Conductive Open‐Cell Silicone Foam for Tunable Damping and Impact Sensing Application

Abstract Nature has long served as a source of inspiration for the development of new materials, with foam‐like structures in citrus fruits such as oranges and pomelos serving as examples of efficient energy dissipation. Inspired by the internal structure of citrus fruit, soft conductive silicone fo...

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Main Authors: Rene Preuer, Jan Sleichrt, Daniel Kytyr, Philip Lindner, Umut Cakmak, Ingrid Graz
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley-VCH 2025-04-01
Series:Macromolecular Materials and Engineering
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/mame.202400273
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author Rene Preuer
Jan Sleichrt
Daniel Kytyr
Philip Lindner
Umut Cakmak
Ingrid Graz
author_facet Rene Preuer
Jan Sleichrt
Daniel Kytyr
Philip Lindner
Umut Cakmak
Ingrid Graz
author_sort Rene Preuer
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Nature has long served as a source of inspiration for the development of new materials, with foam‐like structures in citrus fruits such as oranges and pomelos serving as examples of efficient energy dissipation. Inspired by the internal structure of citrus fruit, soft conductive silicone foams are fabricated. The foams are made from a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) by mold casting using sugar templates. Addition of silicone oil and carbon black to the silicone allows creation of extremely soft foams that serve as resistive sensor. Completed by a pneumatic radial compression actuator (PRCA) surrounding the foams like a ring in analogy to citrus fruit peel, smart tunable dampers with sensing capabilities are demonstrated. The foams are evaluated for their electrical and mechanical properties alone as well as in conjunction with the PRCA. When pressurized, the PRCA radially compresses the smart foams, allowing to tune their stiffness and thus damping properties. Tunability of this system is evaluated by means of ball drop tests with respect to damping as well as the sensor performance regarding its sensitivity and stability. Overall, the study provides valuable insights into the behavior of conductive silicone foams and their potential as cushioning and impact sensing material.
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institution OA Journals
issn 1438-7492
1439-2054
language English
publishDate 2025-04-01
publisher Wiley-VCH
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series Macromolecular Materials and Engineering
spelling doaj-art-e28f2ef5b4ac4386858c62c8b5cbe8862025-08-20T02:26:36ZengWiley-VCHMacromolecular Materials and Engineering1438-74921439-20542025-04-013104n/an/a10.1002/mame.202400273Conductive Open‐Cell Silicone Foam for Tunable Damping and Impact Sensing ApplicationRene Preuer0Jan Sleichrt1Daniel Kytyr2Philip Lindner3Umut Cakmak4Ingrid Graz5Christian Doppler Laboratory for Soft Structures for Vibration Isolation and Impact Protection (ADAPT)School of EducationSTEM EducationJohannes Kepler University LinzAltenbergerstrasse 69Linz4040AustriaCzech Academy of SciencesInstitute of Theoretical and Applied MechanicsProsecká 809/76 Prague 9 190 00 Czech RepublicCzech Academy of SciencesInstitute of Theoretical and Applied MechanicsProsecká 809/76 Prague 9 190 00 Czech RepublicInstitute of Semiconductor and Solid State PhysicsSolid State Physics DivisionJohannes Kepler University LinzAltenbergerstrasse 69Linz4040AustriaInstitute of Polymer Product EngineeringJohannes Kepler University LinzAltenbergerstrasse 69Linz4040AustriaChristian Doppler Laboratory for Soft Structures for Vibration Isolation and Impact Protection (ADAPT)School of EducationSTEM EducationJohannes Kepler University LinzAltenbergerstrasse 69Linz4040AustriaAbstract Nature has long served as a source of inspiration for the development of new materials, with foam‐like structures in citrus fruits such as oranges and pomelos serving as examples of efficient energy dissipation. Inspired by the internal structure of citrus fruit, soft conductive silicone foams are fabricated. The foams are made from a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) by mold casting using sugar templates. Addition of silicone oil and carbon black to the silicone allows creation of extremely soft foams that serve as resistive sensor. Completed by a pneumatic radial compression actuator (PRCA) surrounding the foams like a ring in analogy to citrus fruit peel, smart tunable dampers with sensing capabilities are demonstrated. The foams are evaluated for their electrical and mechanical properties alone as well as in conjunction with the PRCA. When pressurized, the PRCA radially compresses the smart foams, allowing to tune their stiffness and thus damping properties. Tunability of this system is evaluated by means of ball drop tests with respect to damping as well as the sensor performance regarding its sensitivity and stability. Overall, the study provides valuable insights into the behavior of conductive silicone foams and their potential as cushioning and impact sensing material.https://doi.org/10.1002/mame.202400273ball drop experimentconductivitydampingdissipationelastomer foamssensors
spellingShingle Rene Preuer
Jan Sleichrt
Daniel Kytyr
Philip Lindner
Umut Cakmak
Ingrid Graz
Conductive Open‐Cell Silicone Foam for Tunable Damping and Impact Sensing Application
Macromolecular Materials and Engineering
ball drop experiment
conductivity
damping
dissipation
elastomer foams
sensors
title Conductive Open‐Cell Silicone Foam for Tunable Damping and Impact Sensing Application
title_full Conductive Open‐Cell Silicone Foam for Tunable Damping and Impact Sensing Application
title_fullStr Conductive Open‐Cell Silicone Foam for Tunable Damping and Impact Sensing Application
title_full_unstemmed Conductive Open‐Cell Silicone Foam for Tunable Damping and Impact Sensing Application
title_short Conductive Open‐Cell Silicone Foam for Tunable Damping and Impact Sensing Application
title_sort conductive open cell silicone foam for tunable damping and impact sensing application
topic ball drop experiment
conductivity
damping
dissipation
elastomer foams
sensors
url https://doi.org/10.1002/mame.202400273
work_keys_str_mv AT renepreuer conductiveopencellsiliconefoamfortunabledampingandimpactsensingapplication
AT jansleichrt conductiveopencellsiliconefoamfortunabledampingandimpactsensingapplication
AT danielkytyr conductiveopencellsiliconefoamfortunabledampingandimpactsensingapplication
AT philiplindner conductiveopencellsiliconefoamfortunabledampingandimpactsensingapplication
AT umutcakmak conductiveopencellsiliconefoamfortunabledampingandimpactsensingapplication
AT ingridgraz conductiveopencellsiliconefoamfortunabledampingandimpactsensingapplication