The new material has the ability to expand by a factor of 100 when it is transferred

Many materials expand and contract with changes in temperature and pH. Similar materials, both solids and gels, are commonly used in robotic and biomedical applications.

Image of new material when subjected to electric current.

In particular, scientists have not previously found a material that can significantly change its mass in response to the effects of electric current.

However, while making and testing laboratory materials, researchers in Sweden and the UK have synthesized a new polymer that can expand and contract in response to weak electrical currents. .

When placed in the electrolyte solution, the material expands by a factor of 100 to respond to weak positive pulses. Negative electrical impulses cause the material to return to its original volume.

In subsequent experiments, the scientists insulated a wire with the new material. As current flows through the wire, the polymer film absorbs water and transforms into a rapidly expanding gel. As the scientists repeated stronger electrical impulses, the gel expanded to a volume 300% larger than the original size.

If integrated into a sponge or filter, scientists suggest that the new material could be manipulated through electricity to control the passage of particles of different sizes.

"We can control the pore size of electronic filters and have the ability to actively control the size of passing particles.

This also means that the properties of the smart filter can be flexibly changed to allow different types of particles or particle sizes to pass through. This function can be used for screening, purifying, refining and in chemical processes. It may also have applications in medicine and biochemistry, 'said Magnus Berggren, professor of organic electronics and director of the Organic Electronics Laboratory at Linköping University.

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