Axial Motion Characterization of a Helical Ionic Polymer Metal Composite Actuator and Its Application in 3-DOF Micro-Parallel Platforms

In this work, a helical ionic polymer metal composite (IPMC) was fabricated by thermal treatment in a mold with helix grooves. The axial actuation behaviors of the helical IPMC actuator were observed, and the electromechanical and electrochemical characteristics were evaluated. The experimental resu...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Actuators 2021-10, Vol.10 (10), p.248
Main Authors: Wu, Yuwei, Yu, Min, He, Qingsong, Vokoun, David, Yin, Guoxiao, Xu, Xianrui, Lyu, Pengfei
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
3-DOF platform
Actuation
actuation performance
Actuators
Axial forces
Cameras
Direct current
Electric currents
Electric fields
Electric potential
Electrodes
Electrostatics
Grooves
Heat treatment
helical
IPMC
Modules
multiphysics
Parallel degrees of freedom
Pitch (inclination)
Polymers
Rolling motion
Solid mechanics
Square waves
Voltage
Yaw
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:In this work, a helical ionic polymer metal composite (IPMC) was fabricated by thermal treatment in a mold with helix grooves. The axial actuation behaviors of the helical IPMC actuator were observed, and the electromechanical and electrochemical characteristics were evaluated. The experimental results showed that as the voltage increased and the frequency decreased, the axial displacement, axial force, and electric current of the actuator all increased. Compared with square wave and sinusoidal signals, the actuator exhibited the most satisfactory motion under the direct current (DC) signal. For the electrochemical test, as the scanning rate decreased, the gravimetric specific capacitance increased. Within a suitable voltage range, the actuator was chemically stable. In addition, we coupled the Electrostatics module, Transport of Diluted Species module, and Solid Mechanics module in COMSOL Multiphysics software to model and analyze the helical IPMC actuator. The simulation data obtained were in good agreement with the experimental data. Finally, by using three helical IPMC actuators as driving components, an innovative three-degree-of-freedom (3-DOF) micro-parallel platform was designed, and it could realize a complex coupling movement of pitch, roll, and yaw under the action of an electric field. This platform is expected to be used in micro-assembly, flexible robots, and other fields.
ISSN:2076-0825
2076-0825
DOI:10.3390/act10100248