Ionic polymer-metal composites: manufacturing and characterization

摘要

This project focus on the investigation of ionic Electroactive Polymers (EAPs) asan electrolyte in the creation of Ionic Polymer-Metal Composites (IPMCs). Thepolymer electrolyte is coated with a noble metal (gold) and used for the study ofactuation, that is, inducing a change in the shape of the material by the application of anelectric current.Firstly a review in EAP actuators is provided, explaining the different mechanismsof actuation, their applications and their potential improvements for future research andwork. Later on, it is explained how we built an IPMC and how we implementedactuation in it.Different techniques were used in order to characterize our material such asDifferential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) orScanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The material was also subjected to tensile testsin an INSTRON machine to evaluate their strength and Young's modulus.This work intends to demonstrate a simple and cheap method to build EAPactuators with adequate properties in terms of stress, strain, actuation fatigue life andefficiency for application in some fields as a safer, cheaper and suitable alternative toconventional actuators.