Mixed-conducting lithium-ion doped emeraldine polyaniline (PAni)–polyethylene oxide (PEO) blends have been developed to achieve an optimal electronic– ionic conductivity balance in nano-tin composite anodes. Electrochemical evaluation was performed on the anodes with differing electrode preparation procedures, doping methods and PEO contents. Results indicate that both good electronic and ionic...

In this paper, a physics-based model is proposed for a biomimetic robotic fish propelled by an ionic polymer–metal composite (IPMC) actuator. Inspired by the biological fin structure, a passive plastic fin is further attached to the IPMC beam. The model incorporates both IPMC actuation dynamics and the hydrodynamics, and predicts the steady-state cruising speed of the robot under a given period...

This paper describes the fabrication and characteristics of an ionic polymer-metal composite (IPMC) membrane-shaped micro-actuator and its application to the fabrication of a micro-pump. After fabricating two 8mm×8mm IPMC membraneshaped actuators using a Nafion film, their displacements were measured. The fabricated IPMC membrane-shaped micro-actuators showed displacement of 14∼27μm at the appl...

Accurate measurements of air and fuel flows in automobile engines are critical because they govern the fuel-air mixing processes in the combustion chamber that could directly impact the combustion efficiency and exhaust emissions. In this paper, we present preliminary results on using ionic polymer-metal composite (IPMC) materials as a flow sensing mechanism for automotive applications. Under a...

IONIC POLYMER-METAL COMPOSITE ARTIFICIAL MUSCLES AND SENSORS: A CONTROL SYSTEMS PERSPECTIVE By Zheng Chen Ionic polymer metal composites (IPMCs) form an important category of electroactive polymers (EAPs), also known as artificial muscles. IPMCs have many potential applications in robotics, biomedical devices, and micro/nano manipulation systems. In this dissertation, a systems perspective is t...

Ionic polymer–metal composites (IPMCs) are one type of wet electroactive polymers that show promising actuating properties in many bio-inspiring underwater robotic applications. In these applications, 3-dimensional kinematic motions are desirable to generate high efficient thrust and maneuverability. However, traditional IPMCs are limited in being only able to generate bending motion. In this p...

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— An IPMC composite is an electroactive material that behaves in an electric field similarly to biological muscles. This intelligent material is leading to a new emerging technology called non-uniformly charged IPMC actuators. This paper introduces first an IPMC analytical modeling approach for its electromechanical characterization. The model considers, for the first time, the action of gravit...

Smart materials have been widely used for control actuation. A robotic hand can be equipped with artificial tendons and sensors for the operation of its various joints, mimicking human hand motions. The motors in the robotic hand could be replaced with novel electroactive polymer (EAP) actuators. In the three-finger gripper proposed in this paper, each finger can be actuated individually so tha...