Modelling activities ranging from atomistic, mesoscopic, coarse grain to continuous models to support materials developments (Politecnico Di Torino, ITAINNOVA).
Innovative components for smart applications The properties of smart materials can be changed or tailored to suit the environment in which they are being used, offering new potential applications across many areas of industry. Researchers in the SmartFAN project developed innovative components with new functionalities exploiting smart materials, as Professor Costas Charitidis, Project Coordinator, explained. There is a
wide variety of potential applications of smart materials, including in the automotive, energy and pharmaceutical sectors. Researchers from the EU-funded SmartFAN project developed sophisticated components with smart functionalities. “In the SmartFAN project we investigated nanomaterials that are used to functionalise carbon fibres to introduce different functionalities into composite materials - we are talking here about carbon fibre reinforced polymers (CFRPs),” explains Professor Costas Charitidis, the project’s Coordinator. Researchers are using nano-/micro- composites with unique physicochemical properties, which then opens up wider possibilities. “Combining functionalised carbon fibres and nanomicro materials with unique physicochemical properties leads to the emergence of carbon fibre reinforced polymers with new functionalities.”
Development of CNTs on CFs through Chemical Vapour Deposition for sensing applications (NTUA)
materials and also conducted modelling and simulations, in order to predict the impact on the properties of the composite, like its thermal and electrical conductivity. “For example, for carbon-based nanomaterials, we are using different types of carbon nanotubes and different graphene
derivatives,” says Dr Tanja Kosanovic, project manager and research associate of RnanoLab. “Before using these materials in the composites, we first evaluated and simulated their properties in order to select the right combination. We did multi-scale modelling on different scales, from the atomistic to the mesoscopic level and finally to the macro scale.” A certain type of nanomaterial can be used to introduce a variety of different functionalities, such as self-healing; an area which has attracted a lot of attention in research as a way to increase the service life of materials and reduce infrastructure maintenance costs. A crack of course first needs to be detected before it can be repaired or healed, a topic that has been addressed in the project by ITAINNOVA, one of the partners in SmartFAN. “Microcapsules filled with chromophore substances are used to detect defects in a structure – these microcapsules
Smart by design The functionalities of a composite material, such as the ability to change shape for example, can be predicted on the basis of knowledge of its component parts and its structure. This is related to the concept of ‘smart-by-design’, which means that researchers can understand how the addition of a nanomaterial will affect the final properties of the composite. “The smart-by-design principle, defines what material to add, and what functionality will be offered,” says Professor Charitidis. In the project, researchers have developed new
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Development of magnetic nanoparticles for healing and chromophore microcapsules for damage sensing (ITAINNOVA)
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