Micro Deposition Method: A novel fabrication method for IonicPolymer Metallic Composites

摘要

A new fabrication system for Ionic Polymer Metallic Composites (IPMC) entitled Micro Deposition Method(MDM) isintroduced. The tolerances in prototyping IPMC's using available fabrication techniques does not meet the tight limitsfor fabricating the polymer transducer. The MDM overcomes this limitation by using a microfluidic dispersion head thatcan deposit 3 to 10 picoliters of the electrode layer dissolved in a solvent at a high throughput. The MDM in its existingconfiguration can be used to fabricate micron scale polymer transducers with features 2 microns and above with highaccuracy and repeatability. A commercially available piezoelectric deposition head from an inkjet printer is modifiedand used to disperse the electrode material of controlled thickness as a concept demonstration. The physical propertiesof the dispersed fluid are adjusted to meet the requirements of the deposition head to fabricate the prototype. Thedispersion fluid used had a viscosity of 3.47 ±0.06 cP, a surface tension of 23.6 ±.1 mNm~(-1), and a conducting powervolume load set at 10%.