Design, fabrication, and characterization of controllable conducting polymer actuation systems
Name
707091340-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
Size
25.4 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
b5b49df7154b4915eed919fe3cad910c
Author(s)
Paster, Eli (Eli Travis)
Advisor(s)
Ian Hunter.
Date Issued
2010
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
The geometric, hierarchal, multifunctional composition of mammalian skeletal muscle and the neuromuscular system consists of actuation elements, length sensors, force sensors, localized energy storage, controlled energy delivery, computational components, and intercommunication pathways. Conducting polymer materials are versatile enough to perform all of the above functions. This work explores the design, characterization, and implementation of three conducting polymer components in building artificial muscle actuation systems: actuators, length sensors, and energy storage. The first systematic strain characterization of polypyrrole actuators at voltages above 1 V for a frequency range of 0.01 Hz to 100 Hz is reported. Material, mechanical, and electrical properties of polypyrrole length sensors are evaluated over the same frequency range. Polypyrrole supercapacitors are evaluated as a function of dopant, electrolyte, geometry, and mass, enabling the determination of their capacitance, charge-discharge lifetime, and self-discharge. Fabrication techniques for combining multiple conducting polymer components (actuators, length sensors, and energy storage elements) by means of electrically insulated, mechanical attachments are developed and demonstrated. An all-polymer, open loop linear contractile actuation system is presented, along with the first conducting polymer powered conducting polymer actuators, and the first tripolymer system. These results build a foundation upon which large, scalable, self-powered, all polymer electro-chemo-mechanical actuation systems can be developed for a future set of conducting polymer artificial muscle systems.
Description
Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2010.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 144-148).
Subjects
Mechanical Engineering.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
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