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Realizing multimodal tactile perception for robots is highly desirable for achieving more intelligent human–machine interaction. A real‐time intelligent glove system that can capture and monitor hand tactile information, including pressure, bending, and temperature is proposed. This system processes the collected data and visualizes the tactile information in a 2D image. The intelligent glove system integrates a palm‐shaped sensor unit, a multi‐channel data acquisition board, and a data analysis module. The glove consists of 34 flexible sensors, including 28 pressure sensors, five bending sensors, and one temperature sensor, which convert biological information into electrical signals. By enhancing the performance of the system, the intelligent glove achieves high sensitivity and good fault tolerance, allowing it to analyze the multimodal tactile information of the entire hand with fast responsivity. By analyzing the acquired multi‐channel electrical signals, the system can analyze object shapes and various gripping states. This work paves the way for wearable devices used in multimodal tactile perception and promotes the emergence of new modes of human–machine interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexible sensing technologies that play a pivotal role in endowing robots with detection capabilities and monitoring their motions are impulsively desired for intelligent robotics systems. However, integrating and constructing reliable and sustainable flexible sensors with multifunctionality for robots remains an everlasting challenge. Herein, an entirely intrinsic self‐healing, stretchable, and attachable multimodal sensor is developed that can be conformally integrated with soft robots to identify diverse signals. The dynamic bonds cross‐linked networks including the insulating polymer and conductive hydrogel with good comprehensive performances are designed to fabricate the sensor with prolonged lifespan and improved reliability. Benefiting from the self‐adhesiveness of the hydrogel, strong interfacial bonding can be formed on various surfaces, which promotes the conformable integration of the sensor with robots. Due to the ionic transportation mechanism, the sensor can detect strain and temperature based on piezoresistive and thermoresistive effect, respectively. Moreover, the sensor can work in triboelectric mode to achieve self‐powered sensing. Various information can be identified from the electrical signals generated by the sensor, including hand gestures, soft robot crawling motions, a message of code, the temperature of objects, and the type of materials, holding great promise in the fields of environmental detection, wearable devices, human‐machine interfacing, and robotics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polycarbonate (PC) nanofibers were produced using anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) template assisted nanomolding. The effects of temperature on the nanoflow were investigated. It was found that higher temperature apparently enhanced the polycarbonate nanoflow and resulted in longer nanofibers in the same duration. The surface wettabilities of the polycarbonate nanofiber coated substrates showed apparent dependency on the morphology of the surface. It was found that larger honeycomb patterns would result in higher hydrophobicity than smaller honeycomb patterns. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 52:2122-2126, 2012. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers, INTRODUCTION Modifications of wettabilities of polymer surfaces have attracted many scientists in recent years (1-11). It has been proved that both physical surface modification (5-8) and chemical surface treatment (1-3) [...]

Hyperbranched polymers have garnered much attention due to attractive properties and wide applications, such as drug‐controlled release, stimuli‐responsive nano‐objects, photosensitive materials and catalysts. Herein, two types of novel hyperbranched poly(ester‐enamine) (hb‐PEEa) were designed and synthesized via the spontaneous amino‐yne click reaction of A2 monomer (1, 3‐bis(4‐piperidyl)‐propane (A2a) or piperazine (A2b)) and B3 monomer (trimethylolpropanetripropiolate). According to Flory's hypothesis, gelation is an intrinsic problem in an ideal A2+B3 polymerization system. By controlling the polymerization conditions, such as monomer concentration, molar ratio and rate of addition, a non‐ideal A2+B3 polymerization system can be established to avoid gelation and to synthesize soluble hb‐PEEa. Due to abundant unreacted alkynyl groups in periphery, the hb‐PEEa can be further functionalized by different amino compounds or their derivates. The as‐prepared amphiphilic PEG‐hb‐PEEa copolymer can readily self‐assemble into micelles in water, which can be used as surfactant to stabilize Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) during reduction of NaBH4 in aqueous solution. As a demonstration, the as‐prepared PEG‐hb‐PEEa‐supported AuNPs demonstrate good dispersion in water, solvent stability and remarkable catalytic activity for reduction of nitrobenzene compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]