Research Project 2 for Doctoral Candidate 2 (DC2):
Incorporation of magnetic nano- and microparticles into soft matter for robotic applications (WP1, WP2, WP3, WP5)
Objectives:
- To develop efficient chemical processes for synthesis of magnetoactive elastomers and magnetic liquids for robotic applications.
- To investigate the effects of particle functionalization on (micro-) structural characteristics of developed materials.
Expected Results:
- New methods enabling homogeneous dispersions of magnetic filler particles in elastomers, starting from rational chemical design including engineering of the particles surface properties with grafting appropriate molecules onto their surfaces thus avoiding aggregation of particles during their incorporation into the elastomer and sedimentation of particles in magnetic liquids.
- Synthesis-structure-properties relationships.
Principal Supervisor:
Prof. Darja Lisjak, Jožef Stefan Institute (JSI), Slovenia.
Host Institution:
Jožef Stefan Institute (JSI), Slovenia, the Ph.D. degree will be awarded by Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School (IPS), Slovenia.
Planned Secondments (total: 9 months):
- Months 10-12 at Kiel University (CAU, Germany) together with DC1 from OTH in order to gain complementary expertise on surface characterization of magnetoactive materials and to characterize the samples developed together with DC1 from OTH. Supervisor: Prof. Stanislav Gorb, Kiel University (CAU), Germany.
- Months 16-18 at SSSA to integrate developed materials in proof-of-concept actuators and to obtain experience on practical limitations. Supervisor: Dr. Matteo Cianchetti, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna (SSSA), Italy.
- Months 30-32 at PRE to gain industrial experience in application of the developed materials in robotics. Supervisor: Dr. Francesco Clemente, Prensilia SRL (PRE), Italy.