Soft functional materials (SFMs) are emerging materials that can adapt their shapes in response to environmental stimuli. The fascinating shape changes exhibited by SFMs have inspired novel concepts for a wide array of applications including morphing surfaces and structures for next generation aircrafts, actuators and sensors for micro-electro-mechanical systems, biomedical stents and scaffolds for tissue engineering, drug delivery systems, and shape changing biomedical devices for minimally invasive surgery. However, due to the complex mechanical behaviors coupled with thermal, chemical, electrical, and photo processes, there is a large gap between novel concepts and engineering product design realization. Bridging this gap requires a critical understanding of mechanical characteristics of these materials and the development of modeling tools that can predict the important but very complex behaviors. This research details a set of research and education activities designed to advance the understanding of the multiphysical behavior of SFMs and to develop corresponding modeling tools that can be used in design to realize novel applications of these materials. The education activities include developing new courses, developing a website to visualize structure-function relationship of SFMs, and promoting undergraduate student research and education through the Discovery Learning Apprenticeship and ATLAS (Alliance for Technology, Learning, And Science) at CU-Boulder.
This Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) researched work will greatly accelerate the process of transforming concepts for novel applications of fascinating SFMs into engineering design. In addition, the research work will provide exciting education opportunities for students to understand structure-function relationship of SFMs and to grasp skills in developing sophisticated constitutive models.
