The energy flow and mechanical modeling of soft chemo-mechanical machines

Soft chemo-mechanical (SCM) machines convert chemical energy into mechanical energy. They have the advantages of fast actuation and compliant deformation and possess wide applications in soft robots and flexible smart devices. Using experiments and theoretical modeling, this paper investigates the c...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of applied physics 2018-10, Vol.124 (16)
Main Authors: Chen, Liyuan, Xue, Yaoting, Chen, Weijia, Zhang, Mingqi, Chen, Xiangping, Cao, Xunuo, Zhang, Zhen, Li, Guorui, Li, Tiefeng
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Actuation
Applied physics
Chemical energy
Cylindrical chambers
Deformation
Energy
Energy conversion
Energy dissipation
Energy flow
Modelling
Organic chemistry
Robots
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Summary:Soft chemo-mechanical (SCM) machines convert chemical energy into mechanical energy. They have the advantages of fast actuation and compliant deformation and possess wide applications in soft robots and flexible smart devices. Using experiments and theoretical modeling, this paper investigates the chemo-mechanical energy flows and the energy conversion cycle in the pressure and volume (P–V) plane of an SCM machine consisting of a soft membrane and cylindrical chambers. The machine generates 16.1 mJ of mechanical energy per cycle. We study heat dissipation as the key issue affecting the conversion efficiency. The states of the conversion cycle calculated from mechanical modeling fit well with those measured experimentally. The design principles and the theoretical methods can be used to guide the fabrication and characterization of SCM actuators and robots.
ISSN:0021-8979
1089-7550
DOI:10.1063/1.5050415