2. Programme type: 7th Framework Programme FET
Title: NEW MECHANISMS AND CONCEPTS FOR EXPLOITING ELECTROACTIVE POLYMERS FOR WAVE ENERGY CONVERSION
Programme type: 7th Framework Programme FET
Project Reference: Start date: Duration: 48 months Project value: EURO (Requested EU contribution: EURO) Coordinator: Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna (SSSA)
Buget for ICMPP: EURO (Requested EU contribution: EURO) Co-financing: The Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation Funding (UEFISCDI)
Programm PNII - Capacitaties
Modul III, Contract 205EU/
Co-financing value: ,00 lei

3. Partners:
P1-CO A: PERCRO SEES, SCUOLA SUPERIORE DI STUDI UNIVERSITARI E DI PERFEZIONAMENTO SANT'ANNA (SSSA), Pisa – ITALY
P2: INSTITUTUL DE CHIMIE MACROMOLECULARA PETRU PONI (PPIMC), Iasi - ROMANIA
P3: SELMAR SRL, (SELMAR), Santo Stefano Magra - ITALY
P4: THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH (UEDIN), Edinburgh – UNITED KINGDOM
P5: WAVEC OFFSHORE RENEWABLES - CENTRO DE ENERGIA OFFSHORE (WavEC), Lisboa, PORTUGAL
P6: ALMA MATER STUDIORUM UNIVERSITA’ DI BOLOGNA (UNIBO), Bologna, ITALY

4. Objectives
PolyWEC aims at generating new knowledge in different fields of science and with specific scientific objectives developing:
- novel concepts and methodologies for wave energy harvesting through transducers based on Dielectric Elastomers (DEs) materials;
- novel fully-coupled electro-hyperelastic-hydrodynamic models for polymeric Wave Energy Converters (WECs) design, numerical simulation and control;
- novel techno-economical models for assessing the economic potential of DE-based WECs in given wave-climates, as well as for evaluating their energy-carbon sustainability;
- novel algorithms for DE-based WECs control;
- novel concepts and methodologies for the development of DE materials and transducers for wave energy harvesting.
In addition PolyWEC will address the following technological challenges:
- the development and experimental validation of innovative small-scale DE-based WECs;
- development and experimental validation of new kinds of DEs for wave energy harvesting;
- development and experimental validation of new types of transducers for wave energy harvesting;
- the definition of guidelines for designing DEs and transducers for energy harvesting applications;
- the definition of guidelines for the design and operation of DE-based WECs in specific wave-climates;

6. PolyWEC is organised in 6 workpackges (WP):
Activities
PolyWEC is organised in 6 workpackges (WP):

7. PPIMC team: Dr. Maria Cazacu – responsible partner Dr. Carmen Racles
Dr. Stelian Vlad
Dr. George Stiubianu
Drd. Adrian Bele
Drd. Codrin Tugui
Valerica Haulica – technician

8. Some results

9. Dissemination Dissemination (UEFISCDI contribution by co-financing)
I. Indicatorii sintetici de realizare a proiectului (Anexa 1 – RST)
-12 articole publicate asociate proiectului PolyWEC (prj. ref si Contract CNCS-UEFISCDI 205 EU):
Silicone-barium titanate composites with increased electromechanical sensitivity. The effects of the filler morphology, Adrian Bele, Maria Cazacu, George Stiubianu, Stelian Vlad, RSC Adv., (2014), 4, 58522–58529.
2. Experimental testing on free vibration behaviour for silicone rubbers proposed within lumbar disc prosthesis, Iuliana Rotaru, Carmen Bujoreanu, Adrian Bele, Maria Cazacu, Dumitru Olaru, Materials Science and Engineering C 2014, 42, 192–198.
3. Polydimethylsiloxane-barium titanate composites: preparation and evaluation of the moisture, thermal, mechanical and dielectric behavior, Adrian Bele, Maria Cazacu, George Stiubianu, Stelian Vlad, Mircea Ignat, Composites: Part B 68 (2015) 237–245
4. Bimodal silicone interpenetrating networks sequentially built as electroactive dielectric elastomers, C. Tugui, G. Stiubianu, M. Iacob, C. Ursu, A. Bele, S. Vlad and M. Cazacu, J. Mater. Chem. C, 2015, 3, 8963 – 8969.
5. Full silicone interpenetrating bi-networks with different organic groups attached to the silicon atoms, Codrin Tugui, Maria Cazacu, Liviu Sacarescu, Adrian Bele, George Stiubianu, Cristian Ursu, Carmen Racles, Polymer 77, 2015,
6. Silicone dielectric elastomers based on radical crosslinked high molecular weight polydimethylsiloxane co-filled with silica and barium titanate, A. Bele, G. Stiubianu, C. Varganici, M. Ignat, M. Cazacu, J Mater Sci, 2015, 50:6822–6832
7. Dielectric silicone elastomers with mixed ceramic nanoparticles, G. Stiubianu, A. Bele, M. Cazacu, C. Racles, Mater. Res. Bull. 71, 2015,

10. 8. Goethite nanorods as a cheap and effective filler for siloxane nanocomposite elastomers, M. Iacob, G. Stiubianu, C. Tugui, L. Ursu, M. Ignat, C. Turta and M. Cazacu, RSC Adv., 2015,5,  
9. Changes induced in the properties of dielectric silicone elastomers by the incorporation of transition metal complexes, George Stiubianu, Ana-Maria Corina Dumitriu, Cristian-Dragos Varganici, Codrin Tugui, Mihail Iacob, Adrian Bele, Maria Cazacu, High Perform. Polym., 2016, 28(8)
10. Interpenetrating Poly(urethane-urea)-Polydimethylsiloxane Networks Suitable as Active Elements in Electromechanical Transducers, Codrin Tugui, Stelian Vlad, Mihail Iacob, Cristian-Dragos Varganici and Maria Cazacu, Polym.Chem., 2016, 7, 2709–2719.
11. Aging behavior of the silicone dielectric elastomers in simulated marine environment, Adrian Bele, George Stiubianu, Stelian Vlad, Codrin Tugui, Dragos-Cristian Varganici, Lavinia Matricala, Daniela Ionita, Daniel Timpu, Maria Cazacu, RSC Adv., 2016, 6, 8941–8955.
12. Dielectric elastomers based on silicones filled with transitional metal complexes, George Ştiubianu, Alina Soroceanu, Cristian-Dragos Varganici, Codrin Tugui, Maria Cazacu, Composites Part B: Engineering, 2016,93 (15),
-14 prezentari manifestari stiintifice (sase comunicari orale, trei postere cu prezentari scurte, cinci postere):
1. Improving the dielectric properties of silicones by incorporation of lead zirconate nanoparticles, George Stiubianu, Adrian Bele, Maria Cazacu, Carmen Racles, The 13th International Balkan Workshop on Applied Physics and Materials Science, 4-6 July, Constanta, Romania
2. The influence of the morphology of barium titanate nanoparticles on dielectric properties of silicones, Adrian Bele, George Stiubianu, Maria Cazacu, Carmen Racles, The 13th International Balkan Workshop on Applied Physics and Materials Science, 4-6 July, Constanta, Romania 3.

11. 3. Improving the dielectric properties of silicones by incorporation of ceramic nanoparticles, George Stiubianu, Adrian Bele, Carmen Racles, Maria Cazacu, STREAM Summer School, Iasi, 8-12 July 2013, Romania
4. Studiul influentei masei moleculare a polidimetilsiloxanilor asupra proprietatilor dielectrice si mecanice ale compozitelor obtinute pe baza lor, George Stiubianu, Alina Soroceanu, Valentina Musteata, Adrian Bele, Maria Cazacu, Zilele Academice Iesene, A XXIV-a sesiune de comunicari stiintifice a Institutului de Chimie Macromoleculara „Petru Poni” Iasi, octombrie 2013
5. Influenţa masei moleculare şi a concentraţiei materialului de umplutură asupra proprietăţilor elastomerilor siliconici, George Ştiubianu, Adrian Bele, Valentina Musteaţă, Stelian Vlad, Maria Cazacu, Zilele Academice Iesene, A XXIV-a sesiune de comunicari stiintifice a Institutului de Chimie Macromoleculara „Petru Poni” Iasi, octombrie 2013
6. Efectul silicei asupra comportării electro-mecanice a unor compozite siloxan-titanat de bariu, Adrian Bele, George Ştiubianu, Valentina Musteaţă, Stelian Vlad, Daniel Ovezea, Maria Cazacu, Zilele Academice Iesene, A XXIV-a sesiune de comunicari stiintifice a Institutului de Chimie Macromoleculara „Petru Poni” Iasi, octombrie 2013
7. Utilizarea de complecsi metalici pentru obtinerea unor elastomeri cu proprietăti dielectrice îmbunătătite, Alina Soroceanu, George Ştiubianu, Valentina Musteaţă, Adrian Bele, Maria Cazacu, Zilele Academice Iesene, A XXIV-a sesiune de comunicari stiintifice a Institutului de Chimie Macromoleculara „Petru Poni” Iasi, octombrie 2013
8. Prepararea unor noi compozite siliconice electroactive şi testarea lor ca muşchi artificiali, Adrian Bele, Mihai Iacob, Xenia Patraş, Mihaela Alexandru, Maria Cazacu, Congres International, Pregatim viitorul, promovand excelenta, , Iasi, Romania.
9. Siloxane-lignin elastomers for energy harvesting, G. Stiubianu, A. Bele, M. Iacob, C. Tugui, V. Musteata, M. Cazacu, A XXXIII-a Conferinta Nationala de Chimie Calimanesti-Caciulata, octombrie 2014, Ramnicu-Valcea, Romania.

12. 10. Bimodal silicone networks as dielectric elastomers, Codrin Tugui, Stiubianu George, Mihail Iacob, Cristian Ursu, Cristian-Dragos Varganici, Maria Cazacu, International conference on Electromechanically Active Polymer (EAP) transducers & artificial muscles, Tallinn, 9-10 June, Estonia, 2015
11. Dielectric elastomers optimized through interpenetration strategies, C. Tugui, A. Bele, S. Vlad, C. Racles, M. Cazacu, Eighth Cristofor I. Simionescu Symposium Frontiers in Macromolecular and Supramolecular Science, Iasi, Romania, June, 1-2, 2016.
12. High breakdown strength composites based on silicone-ceramic nanotubes, Adrian Bele, Codrin Tugui, Carmen Racles, Maria Cazacu, Sixth international conference on Electromechanically Active Polymer (EAP) transducers & artificial muscles, EuroEAP 2016, Helsingør (Copenhagen), Denmark, June 2016.
13. Ultra-thin stretchable silver electrodes as compared with PDMS-based electrodes designed for energy harvesting, Codrin Tugui, Cristian Ursu, Adrian Bele, Mihail Iacob, Maria Cazacu, Sixth international conference on Electromechanically Active Polymer (EAP) transducers & artificial muscles, EuroEAP 2016, Helsingør (Copenhagen), Denmark, June 2016.
14. Synthetic approach to obtain silicone-based elastomers with improved electromechanical properties, Maria Cazacu, Codrin Tugui, Sixth international conference on Electromechanically Active Polymer (EAP) transducers & artificial muscles, EuroEAP 2016, Helsingør (Copenhagen), Denmark, June 2016.