Electroactive Polymers or EAPs are polymers whose shape is modified when a voltage is applied to them. They can be used as actuators or sensors. As actuators, they are characterized by the fact that they can undergo a large amount of deformation while sustaining large forces. Due to the similarities with biological tissues in terms of achievable stress and force, they are often called artificial muscles, and have the potential for application in the field of robotics, where large linear movement is often needed. A polymer is a substance composed of molecules with large molecular mass composed of repeating structural units, or monomers, connected by covalent chemical bonds. ... International safety symbol Caution, risk of electric shock (ISO 3864), colloquially known as high voltage symbol. ... A three-dimensional actuator modelled using elastica theory. ... Distinguish from censure and censer and censor. ... A top-down view of skeletal muscle Muscle (from Latin musculus little mouse [1]) is contractile tissue of the body and is derived from the mesodermal layer of embryonic germ cells. ...
EAP can have several configurations, but are generally divided in two principal classes:
Dielectric EAPs, in which actuation is caused by electrostatic forces between two electrodes which squeeze the polymer. This kind of EAP is characterized by a large actuation voltage (several thousand volts), but very low electricalpower consumption. Dielectric EAPs require no power to keep the actuator at a given position. Examples are Electrostrictive Polymers and Dielectric elastomers.
Ionic EAPs, in which actuation is caused by the displacement of ions inside the polymer. Only a few volts are needed for actuation, but the ionic flow implies a higher electrical power needed for actuation, and energy are needed to keep the actuator at a given position. Examples of ionic EAPS are Conducting Polymers, Ionic Polymer Metal Composite (IPMC), and Responsive Gels. Yet another example is a Bucky gel actuator, which is a polymer-supported layer of polyelectrolyte material consisting of an ionic liquid sandwiched between two electrode layers consisting of a gel of ionic liquid containing single wall carbon nanotubes. The name refers to bucky balls. [1]
A dielectric, or electrical insulator, is a substance that is highly resistant to electric current. ... Electrostatics is the branch of physics that deals with the force exerted by a static (i. ... Josephson junction array chip developed by NIST as a standard volt. ... The article on electrical energy is located elsewhere. ... In physics, power (symbol: P) is the rate at which work is performed or energy is transferred. ... Dielectric elastomers (DEs) are materials which can be compressed into thin layers of soft elastomer using electrostatic compression. ... An electrostatic potential map of the nitrate ion (NO3−). Areas coloured red are lower in energy than areas colored yellow robert ford An ion is an atom or group of atoms which have lost or gained one or more electrons, making them negatively or positively charged. ... IPMC is also known as Ionic Polymer Metal Composite or Compound. ... Polyelectrolytes combine the properties of electrolytes (salts) and polymers (high MW compounds). ... Ionic liquid An ionic liquid is a liquid that contains essentially only ions. ... An electrode is an electrical conductor used to make contact with a metallic part of a circuit (e. ... In optical filters and theatrical lighting a color gel is a transparent or translucent colored panel used to change the color of transmitted light. ... Ionic liquid An ionic liquid is a liquid that contains essentially only ions. ... 3D model of three types of single-walled carbon nanotubes. ... Buckminsterfullerene (C60) Fullerenes are molecules composed entirely of carbon, taking the form of a hollow sphere, ellipsoid, or tube. ...
Thus, polymers and transducers of the present invention may be used as an actuator to convert from electrical to mechanical energy, a generator to convert from mechanical to electrical energy, a sensor that detects a parameter, or a variable stiffness and/or damping device that is used to control stiffness and/or damping.
Generally, electroactivepolymers of the present invention may be implemented in a variety of sensors, actuators and generators--including conventional sensors, actuators and generators retrofitted with an electroactivepolymer and custom sensors, actuators and generators specially designed for one or more active areas.
The perimeter of a monolithic electroactivepolymer 273 is attached in tension to the frame 271 and spans the hole 272.
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