05-5
Chapter One
Polymer Gel Actuators: Fundamentals
Paul Calvert
University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, USA
1.1 Introduction and Historical Overview
One view of materials development is to search for what materials correspond to empty
spaces on a hypothetical multi-dimensional map of the properties of available materials.
Following a biomimetic philosophy, for instance, it can be seen that tough ceramics and
moldable short fiber composites with high moduli are possible but absent from the list of
available synthetic materials. Likewise artificial muscle is missing, where the properties
are defined as a developed stress of over 300 kPa, a linear contraction of 25% and a
response time of below one second. Currently dielectric elastomers come closest but have
disadvantages.
The actin-myosin muscle system provides the performance target for electroactive
polymer actuators. The process is driven chemically by the energy change from
hydrolysis of the polyphosphate bond as ATP (adenosine triphosphate) ... read full excerpt from Biomedical Applications of Electroactive Polymer Actuators ebook
