Conference EMMC20
S7: Mechanics of soft materials and structures
Massimiliano Gei, University of Trieste, Italy, email
Giovanni Noselli, SISSA, Trieste, Italy, email
Soft active materials embrace both natural and synthetic systems. They exhibit large deformations in response to non-mechanical stimuli and a complex behavior emerging from their multi-physics and multi-scale nature. Studies on biological structures and tissues have elucidated the role of mechanical factors on their functioning. In parallel, a significant research effort has focused on the development and mathematical modelling of synthetic materials capable of reproducing the functional behaviors observed in natural systems. A non-exhaustive list of such materials includes dielectric and magneto-sensitive elastomers, neutral and electro-active polymers and gels, and liquid crystal elastomers, whose technological applications are widespread in biomedicine, soft robotics, compliant programmable structures, and in energy harvesting systems. Although each type of material possesses its own activation mechanism(s), the experimental, theoretical and numerical methodologies to tackle research challenges in this area are based on a common ground. The symposium aims at gathering scientists from different disciplines sharing the interest in the theoretical, computational, and experimental aspects of soft active materials, with the goal of sharing the latest research outcomes in the field.