ISSN:
1662-0356
Source:
Scientific.Net: Materials Science & Technology / Trans Tech Publications Archiv 1984-2008
Topics:
Natural Sciences in General
,
Technology
Notes:
Conducting polymer actuators are of interest in applications where low voltage and highwork density are beneficial. These actuators are not particularly fast however, with time constantsnormally being greater than 1 second. Strain in these actuators is proportional to charge, with therate of charging being found to limit the speed of actuation. This rate of charging is in turn limitedby a number of factors, the dominant factor depending on the actuator and cell geometry, thepotential range, the composition and the timescale of interest. Mechanisms that slow response canbe as simple as the RC charging time arising from the actuator capacitance and the series resistancesof the electrolyte and the contacts, or may involve polymer electronic or ionic conductivities, whichcan in turn be functions of potential. Diffusion can also be a factor. An approach is presented tohelp estimate the relative magnitudes of these rate limiting factors, thereby enabling actuatordesigns to evaluated and optimized for a given application. The general approach discussed is alsouseful for analyzing rate limits in carbon nanotube actuators and other related technologies
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://www.tib-hannover.de/fulltexts/2011/0528/01/42/transtech_doi~10.4028%252Fwww.scientific.net%252FAST.61.26.pdf
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