Periodic Reporting for period 1 - NEUROMETA (Natural nEUROactive Mechanical mETAmaterials)
Période du rapport: 2021-10-01 au 2023-03-31
Problem:
Metamaterials with anomalous and counter-intuitive multiphysics behaviours have been developed during the last two decades to help communication systems, sensing and robotics. Paradigmatic developments in artificial intelligence, Digital Twin approaches and additive manufacturing are pushing the design and production of metamaterials also towards the development artificial equivalent of synapsis and programmability. These advanced metamaterial concepts are however fossil-based and tend to make use of materials with a high carbon footprint and heavy life cycle costs in terms of emissions and environmental sustainability. Sensing/actuation mechanisms are also innate in natural plant fibres, spider silk strands and enzymatic systems, and involve saturation, hygromorphism, piezoelectricity and controlled hysteresis that could provide similar synaptic behaviours. Programmable memory properties could also be mechanically created in solid matter, and similar mnemonic-type architectures abound in natural fibres and related composites. While neurogenesis in electromagnetic metamaterials is at early stages of development, no neuroactive mechanical metamaterial concept and design based on biobased materials has been developed so far.
Important for society:
Develop metamaterials with biobased sources
Develop metamaterials with surrogate memory matter with sustainable capabilities
Objectives:
The project aims at developing this paradigmatic new class of metamaterials. We will explore the use of natural fibre composites, bio-based matrices, spider silk strands, 3D printing of bioblock materials and natural piezoelectricity in wood/cellulose combined with metamaterial architectures to develop artificial bio-based and sustainable surrogates of programmable memory with learning/adaptive behaviours similar to artificial neural networks. These metamaterials will autonomously learn from their past loading history and generate resilience in the structures in which they are embedded. The natural materials will also have low carbon footprint and could be further developed by worldwide R&D communities based on the resources locally available
Metamaterials with anomalous and counter-intuitive multiphysics behaviours have been developed during the last two decades to help communication systems, sensing and robotics. Paradigmatic developments in artificial intelligence, Digital Twin approaches and additive manufacturing are pushing the design and production of metamaterials also towards the development artificial equivalent of synapsis and programmability. These advanced metamaterial concepts are however fossil-based and tend to make use of materials with a high carbon footprint and heavy life cycle costs in terms of emissions and environmental sustainability. Sensing/actuation mechanisms are also innate in natural plant fibres, spider silk strands and enzymatic systems, and involve saturation, hygromorphism, piezoelectricity and controlled hysteresis that could provide similar synaptic behaviours. Programmable memory properties could also be mechanically created in solid matter, and similar mnemonic-type architectures abound in natural fibres and related composites. While neurogenesis in electromagnetic metamaterials is at early stages of development, no neuroactive mechanical metamaterial concept and design based on biobased materials has been developed so far.
Important for society:
Develop metamaterials with biobased sources
Develop metamaterials with surrogate memory matter with sustainable capabilities
Objectives:
The project aims at developing this paradigmatic new class of metamaterials. We will explore the use of natural fibre composites, bio-based matrices, spider silk strands, 3D printing of bioblock materials and natural piezoelectricity in wood/cellulose combined with metamaterial architectures to develop artificial bio-based and sustainable surrogates of programmable memory with learning/adaptive behaviours similar to artificial neural networks. These metamaterials will autonomously learn from their past loading history and generate resilience in the structures in which they are embedded. The natural materials will also have low carbon footprint and could be further developed by worldwide R&D communities based on the resources locally available
During the first period the actions implemented have been the following:
• Developed the numerical framework to identify memory matter characteristics in biobased materials (hydrogels, systems of natural fibres, composites with hygromorphism).
• Supporting the NEUROMETA core projects and using the NEUROMETA infrastructure to promote research activities across existing postgraduate and undergraduate projects relevant to the ERC action.
• Published 11 papers in international journals acknowledging the support of NEUROMETA.
• Obtained initial set of results about the energy absorption and vibration damping properties of one of the biobased materials used in NEUROMETA for a potential POC.
• Presented findings from the NEUROMETA project at 4 Conferences (SPIE 2022, DRaF 2022, MIMS 2022, ICCM23).
• Promoted the NEUROMETA project at invited workshops in Glasgow (Strathclyde), Edinburgh University, Scottish Rural University College (Dumfries), Bath University and at the UK Metamaterials Network Conference (Dorking, 2022).
• Setup activities with the collaboration partners listed in NEUROMETA, with Professor Tulio Halak Panzera USFJ in Brazil, with a visit to the local facilities and to discuss details of the project in January 2023.
• Hired two new postdoctoral researchers and one PhD student.
• Purchase the necessary equipment for the project, including the Dynamic Mechanical Analyzer
• Developed the numerical framework to identify memory matter characteristics in biobased materials (hydrogels, systems of natural fibres, composites with hygromorphism).
• Supporting the NEUROMETA core projects and using the NEUROMETA infrastructure to promote research activities across existing postgraduate and undergraduate projects relevant to the ERC action.
• Published 11 papers in international journals acknowledging the support of NEUROMETA.
• Obtained initial set of results about the energy absorption and vibration damping properties of one of the biobased materials used in NEUROMETA for a potential POC.
• Presented findings from the NEUROMETA project at 4 Conferences (SPIE 2022, DRaF 2022, MIMS 2022, ICCM23).
• Promoted the NEUROMETA project at invited workshops in Glasgow (Strathclyde), Edinburgh University, Scottish Rural University College (Dumfries), Bath University and at the UK Metamaterials Network Conference (Dorking, 2022).
• Setup activities with the collaboration partners listed in NEUROMETA, with Professor Tulio Halak Panzera USFJ in Brazil, with a visit to the local facilities and to discuss details of the project in January 2023.
• Hired two new postdoctoral researchers and one PhD student.
• Purchase the necessary equipment for the project, including the Dynamic Mechanical Analyzer