Magnetomechanical response of bilayered magnetic elastomers

TL;DR

This study investigates the magnetoelastic behavior of bilayered magnetic elastomers, revealing amplified and opposite deformation responses compared to single-component materials, with potential for advanced applications.

Contribution

It provides the first analysis of bilayered magnetic elastomers, demonstrating their unique and tunable deformation responses under magnetic fields.

Findings

Bilayered elastomers show amplified deformation responses.

Opposite contraction behavior observed compared to single-component elastomers.

Potential for enhanced control in magneto-mechanical applications.

Abstract

Magnetic elastomers are appealing materials from an application point of view: they combine the mechanical softness and deformability of polymeric substances with the addressability by external magnetic fields. In this way, mechanical deformations can be reversibly induced and elastic moduli can be reversibly adjusted from outside. So far, mainly the behavior of single-component magnetic elastomers and ferrogels has been studied. Here, we go one step further and analyze the magnetoelastic response of a bilayered material composed of two different magnetic elastomers. It turns out that, under appropriate conditions, the bilayered magnetic elastomer can show a strongly amplified deformational response in comparison to a single-component material. Furthermore, a qualitatively opposite response can be obtained, i.e.\ a contraction along the magnetic field direction (as opposed to an elongation in the single-component case). We hope that our results will further stimulate experimental and theoretical investigations directly on bilayered magnetic elastomers, or, in a further hierarchical step, on bilayered units embedded in yet another polymeric matrix.