Magnetoelectric 0-1 composites comprising CoFe2O4 (CFO) nanoparticles in a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) polymer-fibre matrix have been prepared by electrospinning. The average diameter of the electrospun composite fibres is ∼325 nm, independent of the nanoparticle content, and the amount of the crystalline polar β phase is strongly enhanced when compared to pure PVDF polymer fibres. The piezo...

A method for the synthesis of electroactive polymers is demonstrated, starting with the synthesis of extended conjugation monomers using a three-step process that finishes with Negishi coupling. Negishi coupling is a cross-coupling process in which a chemical precursor is first lithiated, followed by transmetallation with ZnCl2. The resultant organozinc compound can be coupled to a dibrominated...

Inflatable membrane reflectors are attractive for deployable, large aperture, lightweight optical and microwave systems in micro-gravity space environment. However, any fabrication flaw or temperature variation may results in significant aberration of the surface. Even for a perfectly fabricated inflatable membrane mirror with uniform thickness, theory shows it will form a Hencky curve surface ...

Grasping and manipulating objects on a microscale hold great promise, especially using mechanical structures made from soft materials that enable, for example, safe operations during microsurgery. Soft robots should be preferred to manipulate micro-objects, but their adoption requires, inter alia, transducers can operate either in air or solution. Ultimately, they enable actuation at low voltag...

In order to achieve a distributed actuation in robotics and automation a novel soft actuator technology is being sought worldwide. One of the candidate technologies is based on Electroactive Polymers (EAP). The research to be done in the field of EAP actuators should cover four issues: material improvement, characterization and modeling, actuator design, and applications simulation. Advances on...

This paper presents a new concept design for satellite attitude control. This new concept is based on the use of electroactive polymer beams which control the rotations of a satellite taking advantage of the angular momentum conservation of the whole system. By employing electroactive polymers, a compact and lightweight pointing system is obtained which allows to reduce the need of noisy spinni...

To obtain one biodegradable and electroactive polymer as the scaffold for tissue engineering, the multiblock copolymer PLAAP was designed and synthesized with the condensation polymerization of hydroxyl-capped poly( l-lactide) (PLA) and carboxyl-capped aniline pentamer (AP). The PLAAP copolymer exhibited excellent electroactivity, solubility, and biodegradability. At the same time, as one scaff...

Migration of ions under electric field is the phenomenon behind the mechanical deformation of ionic polymer actuators. This transport process is influenced by numerous factors depending on the physical, chemical and electrical properties of the material used [1]. Among them porosity and tortuosity are one of the main influencing factors that modifies ion channels and so the properties of the ma...

In a world of unknown, touch modality is a key avenue for environments exploration. Implementation of such modality in mobile robot has been a major challenge for many research teams. Recently, several artificial whisker systems have been studied as promising tactile sensor. One key to the whisker’s functionality is its sensor system. Our laboratory recently synthesized new electroactive polyme...

The fully plastic ionic polymer actuators based on Poly (vinylidenefluoridetrifluoroethylenechlorotrifluoroethylene) PVDF-CTFE polymer were investigated. The actuator consists of a high conductive electrolyte layer containing EMI-TF ionic liquid sandwiched between two CNT/polymer electrodes. To reduce the modulus of the CNT electrodes and hence enhance the actuation performance of the actuator,...