Journal Article

Shape-memory effect in twisted ferroic nanocomposites

Choi, Hongsoo, Baghizadeh, Ali, Zeng, Peng, Reidt, Steffen, Puigmartí-Luis, Josep, Han, Hyeon, Kim, Minsoo, Trassin, Morgan, Nelson, Bradley J., Pané, Salvador, Kim, Donghoon, Chen, Xiang-Zhong

2023

Overview

The shape recovery ability of shape-memory alloys vanishes below a critical size (~50 nm), which prevents their practical applications at the nanoscale. In contrast, ferroic materials, even when scaled down to dimensions of a few nanometers, exhibit actuation strain through domain switching, though the generated strain is modest (~1%). Here, we develop freestanding twisted architectures of nanoscale ferroic oxides showing shape-memory effect with a giant recoverable strain (>8%). The twisted geometrical design amplifies the strain generated during ferroelectric domain switching, which cannot be achieved in bulk ceramics or substrate-bonded thin films. The twisted ferroic nanocomposites allow us to overcome the size limitations in traditional shape-memory alloys and open new avenues in engineering large-stroke shape-memory materials for small-scale actuating devices such as nanorobots and artificial muscle fibrils. Shape-memory materials are promising actuation sources for small-scale machines. The authors demonstrate that domain switching in twisted ferroic nanocomposites enables a giant shape-memory effect and superelasticity in the nanoscale structure.

• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group UK,Nature Publishing Group,Nature Portfolio
• Subject: 142/126 / 147/136 / 147/28 / 639/166/988 / 639/301/357 / Actuation / Artificial muscles / Ferroelectric domains / Ferroelectricity / Fibrils / Heat treating / Humanities and Social Sciences / multidisciplinary / Nanocomposites / Recoverable strain / Science / Science (multidisciplinary) / Shape effects / Shape memory alloys / Substrates / Superelasticity / Switching / Thin films