Electro-Active Polymers

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Electro-Active Polymers

• By Isaac Garza
• MEEN 3344

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What are Electro-Active Polymers?

• First discovery were in 1880 by Wilhelm Röntgen
• Two types of electro-active polymers
• Natural
• Artificial
• A lightweight strip of highly flexible plastic
  that bends and functions similarly to a human
  finger when an electrical voltage is applied to
  it.

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How are they Used?

• Small Robotic Devices

• Artificial Muscles

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Two Categories of EAP

• Dry Polymers
• Electrostrictive, Electrostatic, Piezoelectric,
  Ferroelectric
• Require high activation voltage (gt100 V/µm)
• They can also be made to hold DC voltage which
  would allow robotic applications
• They also have a greater mechanical energy
  density

• Wet Polymers
• Ion exchange, conductive polymers, gels
• Only a 1-2 drive voltage is required
• There is a need to maintain their wetness
• It is difficult to sustain DC-sustained
  displacements

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EAP Materials

• Dry Polymers
• Electrostrictive graft elastomers,
  electrostrictive paper, electro-viscoelastic
  elastomers, liquid crystal elastomer materials

• Wet Polymers
• Carbon nanotubes, conductive polymers,
  electrorheological fluids, ionic polymer gels

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References

• http//ndeaa.jpl.nasa.gov/ndeaa-pub/Japan/biomimet
  ic-polymers-handbook.pdf
• http//ndeaa.jpl.nasa.gov/nasa-nde/lommas/aa-hp.ht
  m