Intelligent Polymer Research Institute

The Intelligent Polymer Research Institute (IPRI) at the University of Wollongong has established an international reputation for its work at the cutting edge of intelligent material systems and nanotechnology (microscopic manufacturing). The Institute together with partners at Monash University Bionic Ear Institute has recently been awarded an ARC Centre of Excellence in Electromaterials Science.

Professor Gordon Wallace and his team at IPRI are considered world leaders in their research into the ability of Inherently Conducting Polymers (ICPs) or carbon nanotubes to act as sensing and actuating elements in intelligent materials.

Researchers work with chemicals in the nano-domain (that is, with particles as small as one billionth of a millimetre) where electronic conductivity is vastly higher than in larger structures. Their challenge is to make materials at these dimensions and assemble them into larger structures that retain the special characteristics of the nanocomponents while improving their functionality.

The Institute has developed a range of practical applications for these intelligent materials. For example the IPRI's artificial muscle glove, developed to assist in the rehabilitation of patients recovering from trauma or surgery to their hand, uses in-built fibres as artificial muscles to simulate contracting muscles which activate the hand and aid the rehabilitation process.

IPRI is developing garments and equipment with the ability to detect harmful chemicals, including a welding helmet with a sensor that emits an alarm if it detects toxic fumes.

IPRI has strategic links and alliances with other research institutions in the United States , Japan , Korea , Italy , Ireland and the United Kingdom , and a network of commercial partners that help turn research breakthroughs to practical applications.

INTELLIGENT POLYMERS REVOLUTIONISING THE WORLD

Imagine a paint with special properties that could convert solar energy into electricity for your home, or clothing woven with plastic solar cells that could turn a person into a walking, talking power-generating source. In the world of intelligent polymers, these and many other things are not just possible, they are in the development phase.
Researchers at IPRI are developing more flexible alternatives to the traditional silicon cells which are currently used to convert solar energy into electricity.

IPRI Director Professor Gordon Wallace says plastic solar cells could be inserted into energy-generating paint or woven into textiles that could then be made into garments that convert sunlight into electricity. He says the US Army is one end-user interested in garments that generate electricity. They would allow someone in a remote area to generate their own electricity to run a laptop computer or cook food.

"There is a whole new area of electronic textiles that has emerged over the last couple of years," says Professor Wallace. "Sensors are being built into textiles, for example, that can monitor the environment and the textile then actually changes in response to that environment. An example is a wearable prosthetic glove, which we are working on with Royal North Shore Hospital ."

"All of these functions require energy. It's one thing to make an electronic textile but it's not much use if you have to plug it into the mains or you have to carry a battery around with you." Professor Wallace says. "The ultimate goal is to be able to generate the energy from other sources."

Last reviewed: 16 February, 2007