ECE5320 Mechatronics Assignment#01: Literature Survey on Sensors and Actuators Topic: Electroactive Polymers

1. ECE5320 MechatronicsAssignment#01: Literature Survey on Sensors and Actuators Topic: Electroactive Polymers Prepared by: Kylee Sealy Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering Utah State University 3/11/2005

2. Outline • Reference list • To probe further • Major applications • Basic working principle illustrated • A typical sample configuration in application (application notes) • Major specifications • Limitations ECE5320 Mechatronics. Assignment#1 Survey on sensors and actuators

3. Reference list • http://www.mae.cornell.edu/ccsl/papers/SFF04_Malone.pdf • http://forms.gradsch.psu.edu/equity/sroppapers/2003/EriboOsahonJr.pdf • http://ndeaa.jpl.nasa.gov/nasa-nde/lommas/eap/EAP-web.htm • http://www.teccenter.org/electroactive_polymers/ • http://www.polysep.ucla.edu/Research%20Advances/EAP/electroactive_polymers_as_artifi.htm • http://www.teccenter.org/electroactive_polymers/assets/documents/all_ege_techpapers/MRS99_PA.DOC • http://forms.gradsch.psu.edu/equity/sroppapers/2003/EriboOsahonJr.pdf • http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/WEBONLY/publicfeature/jun04/0604art.html • http://www.mech.kuleuven.ac.be/pma/project/ams/events/proceedings/Bar-Cohen-JPL-Biomimetic-Robots.pdf ECE5320 Mechatronics. Assignment#1 Survey on sensors and actuators

4. To explore further (survival pointers of web references etc) • http://www.aml.arizona.edu/%7Ecalvert/ • http://www.sri.com/esd/automation/actuators.html • http://www.robots.neu.edu/ • http://www.electropolymertechnology.com/web1.htm • http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast01mar_1.htm • http://www.uow.edu.au/science/research/ipri/ • http://www.environmental-robots.com/ • http://www.fetchbook.info/compare.do?search=1587161273 • http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.03/start.html?pg=13 ECE5320 Mechatronics. Assignment#1 Survey on sensors and actuators

5. Major applications • Synthetic Muscles • Micro-robots • Surgical Tools • Electro-rheological fluids • Biomedics • Micro-actuation • Insect or Animal Replication • Replicated Facial Expression ECE5320 Mechatronics. Assignment#1 Survey on sensors and actuators

6. Basic Working Principle • Most electroactive polymers are stimulated using voltage or current through the polymer. • Upon stimulation electroactive polymers usually move in a symmetrical manner. ECE5320 Mechatronics. Assignment#1 Survey on sensors and actuators

7. Basic Working Principle ECE5320 Mechatronics. Assignment#1 Survey on sensors and actuators

8. Types of Electroactive Polymers • Ferroelectric Polymers • Dielectric Electroactive Polymers • Electrostrictive Graft Elastomers • Electrostrictive Paper • Electro-Viscoelastic Elastomers • Liquid Crystal Elastomer Materials • Ionic Polymer Gel • Ionomeric Polymer-Metal Composites • Conductive Polymers • Carbon Nanotubes ECE5320 Mechatronics. Assignment#1 Survey on sensors and actuators

9. Ferroelectric Polymers • Commonly known as piezoelectric actuators • Operate in wide temperature conditions • Can operate in air, water, or vacuum • Elongates when stimulated by electricity ECE5320 Mechatronics. Assignment#1 Survey on sensors and actuators

10. Dielectric EAP • Require large electric fields to stimulate (on the order of 100 V/micrometer) • Produce high strain levels ECE5320 Mechatronics. Assignment#1 Survey on sensors and actuators

11. Electrostrictive Graft Elastomers • Consists of two components: A flexible macromolecule backbone and a grafted polymer that can be produced in a crystalline form. • Can be operated as a piezoelectric sensor or even electrostrictive actuator ECE5320 Mechatronics. Assignment#1 Survey on sensors and actuators

12. Electrostrictive Paper • Contains lots of discrete elements which form a paper like structure because of their fibrous nature. • An example is silver laminate paper which bends when silver electrodes are placed ECE5320 Mechatronics. Assignment#1 Survey on sensors and actuators

13. Electro-Viscoelastic Elastomers • Composites of silicon elastomer and a polar phase. • Relatively small electric field required (<6 V/micrometer) • Can be used as alternatives to electro-rheological fluids for active damping applications. ECE5320 Mechatronics. Assignment#1 Survey on sensors and actuators

14. Liquid Crystal Elastomer Materials • Stimulated by using Joule Heating. • Consist of monodomain nematic liquid crystal elastomers and conductive polymers. • Actuation occurs in less than a second ECE5320 Mechatronics. Assignment#1 Survey on sensors and actuators

15. Ionic Polymer Gel • Have the potential of matching the force and energy density of biological muscles. • Polyacrylonitrile materials are activated by chemical reaction(s). • A change from an acid to an alkaline environment induces an actuation through the gel becoming dense or swollen. ECE5320 Mechatronics. Assignment#1 Survey on sensors and actuators

16. Ionomeric Polymer-Metal Composites • Require low voltages to stimulate bending response (1 – 10V). • Bend in response to an electrical activation as a result of the mobility of cations in the polymer network. ECE5320 Mechatronics. Assignment#1 Survey on sensors and actuators

17. Conductive Polymers • Actuate via the reversible counter-ion insertion and expulsion that occurs during redox cycling. • Requires low voltage range around 1 – 5 V. • Seen as “miniature boxes”. • Voltage variation can control actuation speed. ECE5320 Mechatronics. Assignment#1 Survey on sensors and actuators

18. Carbon Nanotubes • Have diamond-like mechanical properties. • Can boast the highest work per cycle and generate much higher mechanical stresses than other forms of electroactive polymers. ECE5320 Mechatronics. Assignment#1 Survey on sensors and actuators

19. Futuristic Configurations • Active catheter • Dust wiper for nano-rover • Robotic gripper • Elliptical Friction Drive Device • Tactile display ECE5320 Mechatronics. Assignment#1 Survey on sensors and actuators

20. Major Specifications • Strain levels • Chemical makeup • Voltage requirement for stimulation • Response time • Actuation force • Actuation length • Cost • Size • Chemical structure ECE5320 Mechatronics. Assignment#1 Survey on sensors and actuators

21. Limitations • Require specialized processes to produce • Difficult to work with without specialized instrumentation • Can require large voltages in certain polymers • May require AC voltages in most polymers • Difficult to produce consistent material • Do not always have linear responses • Difficult to design feedback for control applications. ECE5320 Mechatronics. Assignment#1 Survey on sensors and actuators