Materials

Goal and motivation of IMS-Materials

Increasing requirements to the properties of new materials challenge to develop novel materials and find new approaches for their fabrication. IMS-Materials is focused on development of materials and in addition to academic basic research, in collaboration with industry, applied and contract research is carried out.

Highlights

• Tartu teadlased valmistasid koos prantslastega imeõhukese, kuid võimeka tehislihase

Capabilities

All steps from materials development to device design and fabrication are covered

Equipment

• potentiostats/galvanostats/frequenzy analyzers
• SEM equipped with EDX
• FT-IR spectrometer
• KF titrator
• dynamic mechanical analysis tool
• chemistry lab equipped for organic synthesis
• glove box
• planetary ball mill
• spin-coater
• R&D micro-printing system
• hot-rolling press

Skills

• Electroactive polymers
• Ionic liquids
• Microfabrication
• Energy harvest and flow capacitors
• Electroactive materials for soft robotics

Members

Tarmo Tammsenior research fellow (materials chemistry, polymeric materials)

Urmas Johansonresearcher (electrochemistry)

Anna-Liisa Peikolainenresearcher (carbon materials, chemistry, microfabrication)

Indrek Mustassociate professor

Student projects

List of currently active and timely projects are here

Portfolio

Selected projects

Basic research

• IUT 2024 - Stimuli-Responsive Smart Polymer Composite Materials and their Applications in Lab-on chip Devices and in Robotics-ongoing
• PUT1696 - 3D printed Na-ion polymer microbatteries with carbon xerogel electrodes - ongoing
• MOBTP 10 - Developmnt of biocompatible ionic electromechanically active polymer actuator (01.01.2017 - 31.12.2017)
• ETF9236 - "Development and characterization of conducting polymer based composite materials for electromechanical applications" (1.01.2012−31.12.2015)
• ETF7533 - "Design of conducting polymers of specific properties for promising applications" (1.01.2008−31.12.2011)
• ETF5830 - "Modeling of the specific properties of concuting polymers of technological interest" (1.01.2004−31.12.2007)

Applied & contract research

• LLTTI17205 - Non-combustible mouldable silicone foams for public transportation seat upholstery -ongoing
• LLTTI17114 - "Development of reinforced porous concrete" -ongoing
• "Soft materials for miniaturizable wearable sensory and feedback application in sports and rehabilitation (01.09.2012 - 30.06.2015)
• "Toodetavate kinga- ja saapapaelte kvaliteedi parendamisele suunatud järeltöötlemistehnoloogiate väljatöötamine" (1.03.2012−30.10.2014)
• "Scannersock (15.01.2016−30.04.2016)
• "Analysis of corroding ship tubing"(4.04.2016−31.05.2016)

Selected publications

• Põldsalu, I., Rohtlaid, K., Nguyen, T.M.G., Plesse, C., Vidal, F., Khorram, M.S., Peikolainen, A.-L., Tamm, T., Kiefer, R. Thin ink-jet printed trilayer actuators composed of PEDOT:PSS on interpenetrating polymer networks, Sensors and Actuators, B: Chemical, 2018.
• Kisand, K., Sarapuu, A., Peikolainen, A.-L., Seemen, H., Kook, M., Käärik, M., Leis, J., Sammelselg, V., Tammeveski, K. Oxygen Reduction on Fe- and Co-Containing Nitrogen-Doped Nanocarbons, ChemElectroChem, 2018.