Nanotechnology, dealing normally with the control of matter on a scale between 1-100 nanometers, is a highly multidisciplinary field of applied science and technology covering a broad range of topics as well as the fabrication of devices. The nanotechnology field, in general, and the advent of smart materials, in particular, has received great impetus during the last decade.
Bio-inspired smart structures can perform sensing, control, and actuation. Smart materials, which can perform both sensing and actuation functions, are used to build these smart structures. A variety of smart materials already exists and is being researched extensively. These include, but are not limited to, piezoelectric materials, shape memory alloys and smart gels. The actuation principle underlying currently available smart materials is based on mesoscopic to macroscopic phase transition phenomena. Other approaches are based on diffusion phenomena in polymers and gels. It is important to note that those approaches still have significant challenges to overcome in order to become efficient and widely applicable.

Salio’s approach incorporates the stimulus recognition and actuation at the monomer level to form autonomous smart building blocks. In other words, our building blocks for smart materials include a sensing center which is directly coupled to a reversible three dimensional change. At the polymer level, the accumulation and amplification of single building block actuation is expressed in physical work. This technology will allow the construction of smart functional assemblies at various scales for different application domains and needs.
Salio’s technology introduces the required smart functional components embedded in the polymer and thus will provide materials with rapid response times and controllable actuation triggered by selected stimuli (e.g. chemical, electrical, light, humidity, temperature or other). We believe that systems constructed following this concept will be robust and perform in a very efficient manner.
For instance, molecular structures that contract or expand in a controllable fashion triggered by an external stimulus, are expected to become key components in the developing fields of nano-devices, material science, robotics, biomimetics and molecular electronics.

Salio is committed to the development of this new technology which is regarded by analysts as …”the next frontier in engineering and manufacturing”... Supported by strong intellectual property and its worldclass scientific team, Salio has already positioned itself to become a leader in this emerging industrial field.