KR100617616B1 - Method for manufacturing a multi-layer polymer actuator equipped with nano-scale thin-film dielectric elastomers - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a laminated polymer actuator in which nano-layer dielectric elastomer thin films and electrodes are sequentially stacked, and apply a high voltage to a dielectric elastomer solution in which nano-dielectric elastomer molecules are dissolved to charge dielectric elastomer molecules. A first step; Spraying the charged dielectric elastomer molecules onto a collector screen of a spin coater; Rotating the dielectric elastomer molecules attached to the collector screen of the spin coater at high speed to form nano dielectric dielectric thin films; A fourth step of curing the formed dielectric elastomer thin film; Stacking an electrode on the cured dielectric elastomer thin film; By repeating the first to fifth steps, a sixth step of sequentially stacking the dielectric elastomer thin film and the electrode. According to the present invention, it is possible to effectively form the nanoelastic dielectric thin film, thereby significantly lowering the driving voltage of the polymer actuator to about tens of volts (V).

Dielectric Elastomers, Actuators, Nano, Thin Films, Laminations, Spin Coating

Description

METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING A MULTI-LAYER POLYMER ACTUATOR EQUIPPED WITH NANO-SCALE THIN-FILM DIELECTRIC ELASTOMERS}

1 is a conceptual diagram for schematically explaining the operating principle of a polymer actuator using a dielectric elastomer.

Figure 2 is an illustration of a method of manufacturing a laminated polymer actuator by a conventional spin coating method.

3 is a block diagram of an apparatus for forming a nano-unit dielectric elastomer thin film of a laminated polymer actuator according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a flow chart of a method of manufacturing a stacked polymer actuator using the apparatus of FIG.

<Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

10: dielectric elastomer film 20, 30: electrode

110: syringe 120: injector

130: high voltage generator 140: spin coater

150a, 150b: stirring mixer 160: motor pump

170: nozzle

The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a laminated polymer actuator, and more particularly, to a method of manufacturing a laminated polymer actuator provided with a dielectric thin film of nano units.

Until now, actuators using motors or solenoids have been utilized in various fields, but in order to apply such actuator technology to joints of humanoid robots, for example, the difficulty of integrating multiple actuators, as well as relatively low operating frequency There is a problem in that a high density output must be realized.

In order to solve this problem, a technique for implementing an actuator using, for example, a shape memory alloy, a piezo material, or the like has been proposed, but due to its disadvantages, it has not been popularized yet. For example, piezoelectric materials are excellent in terms of response speed and efficiency, but have a problem of very small operation displacement. On the contrary, in the case of the shape memory alloy, the stretching displacement is sufficient, but the response speed and the efficiency are not as expected.

Accordingly, in recent years, interest in polymer actuator technology using an electroactive dielectric elastomer (EAP) has increased. Materials for such polymer actuators include electrostrictive polymers in which electrostrictive strains are induced by an electric field, polymer gels in which ion drift occurs in the polymer when the electric field is applied, and polymer gels in which deformation occurs. .

1 is a conceptual diagram schematically illustrating the operating principle of a polymer actuator using a dielectric elastomer.

Referring to FIG. 1A, the dielectric elastomer film 10 is a silicone or urethane-based dielectric elastomer, commonly referred to as an electrodistorted polymer. In addition, the first electrode 20 and the second electrode 30 to which different voltages are applied are respectively applied to the upper and lower ends of the dielectric elastomer film, and carbon is mainly used as the electrode material.

As shown in FIG. 1B, when a voltage V is applied to the polymer actuator to cause a potential difference between both electrodes 20 and 30, electrostrictive strain is induced to cause dielectric dielectric film 10. ) Expands in the planar direction (XY plane in FIG. 1). At this time, the volume of the dielectric elastomer film 10 does not change before and after voltage application, and the thickness (Z-axis direction) of the dielectric elastomer film decreases in inverse proportion to the increase in the surface area.

Based on the single layer structure of FIG. 1, a laminated polymer actuator can be manufactured by sequentially stacking a plurality of dielectric elastomers and electrodes. Laminated polymer actuators can achieve greater displacement and expansion force compared to single layer structures.

As a lamination method for manufacturing a laminated polymer actuator, methods such as compression molding, spin coating, screen printing, and vapor deposition have been put into practice, and a dielectric elastomer thin film in micron (μm) units can be manufactured. On the other hand, the spin coating or vapor deposition method in these methods can produce a relatively thin dielectric elastomer thin film compared to other methods, but in the case of the vapor deposition method, the manufacturing cost is excessively consumed due to the expensive installation cost.

2 illustrates a method of manufacturing a laminated polymer actuator by spin coating, which is cost-effective in the prior art.

As shown, at least one dielectric elastomer solution in which the dielectric elastomer molecules are dissolved is mixed with a stir mixer and sprayed onto a spin coater. The spin coater rotates the injected dielectric elastomer molecules at high speed to form a dielectric elastomer thin film having a uniform thickness, and thermally cures the dielectric elastomer thin film thus formed in an oven. Subsequently, a carbon electrode is laminated on the dielectric elastomer thin film, and the above-described process is repeated until the desired number of layers is completed.

On the other hand, since the expansion force of the polymer actuator is proportional to the square of the applied voltage and inversely proportional to the square of the dielectric elastomer film thickness, the thinner the dielectric elastomer film is made, the lower the voltage required to obtain the same displacement or expansion force. For example, when the thickness of the dielectric elastomer thin film constituting the laminated polymer actuator is in nano units, the voltage required for the distortion distortion may be reduced to about several tens of volts.

However, in the spin coating method described above, the thickness of the dielectric elastomer thin film depends on the rotation speed, rotation time, viscosity of the dielectric elastomer, and the like, and it is very difficult to produce a film of 10 microns or less even if the rotation speed is increased. There is a problem in that a high voltage of kV is required to induce the distortion in the film of the tens of microns produced as described above.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is to provide an effective method for forming a nano-elastic thin film in the manufacture of a laminated polymer actuator, in particular by providing a process similar to the conventional spin coating method The goal is to minimize change.

In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a laminated polymer actuator in which the nanoelastic dielectric thin film and the electrode is sequentially stacked, the nanoelastic dielectric molecules are dissolved Applying a high voltage to the dielectric elastomer solution to charge the dielectric elastomer molecules; Spraying the charged dielectric elastomer molecules onto a collector screen of a spin coater; Rotating the dielectric elastomer molecules attached to the collector screen of the spin coater at high speed to form nano dielectric dielectric thin films; A fourth step of curing the formed dielectric elastomer thin film; Stacking an electrode on the cured dielectric elastomer thin film; By repeating the first to fifth steps, a sixth step of sequentially stacking the dielectric elastomer thin film and the electrode.

In this case, in the third step, it is preferable to form a dielectric elastomer thin film having a thickness of 100 nanometers or less by high-speed rotation, and when the dielectric elastomer solution contains two or more dielectric elastomer molecules, the charged two or more liquid phases It is preferable to induce a polymerization reaction between the dielectric elastomer molecules.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for manufacturing a nano-dielectric dielectric thin film that is electrostrictly modified, comprising: an injector for storing and injecting a dielectric elastomer solution in which nano-dielectric elastomer molecules are dissolved; A high voltage generator for charging the dielectric elastomer molecules stored in the injector; It includes a spin coating machine to generate a potential difference with the charged dielectric elastomer molecules attached to the charged dielectric elastomer molecules sprayed from the injector and to rotate the dielectric elastomer molecules at high speed to form a nano-dielectric thin film.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, hereinafter, nano units means nanoscales of less than 1 micron.

3 illustrates an apparatus for forming a nano-unit dielectric elastomer thin film of a laminated polymer actuator by an electrospinning method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

As shown, the electrospinning apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is composed of one or more syringes 110, the injector 120, the high voltage generator 130, the spin coater 140.

First, the syringe 110 stores a dielectric elastomer solution obtained by dissolving a dielectric elastomer material (Polymer A, Polymer B) used as a dielectric elastomer in an organic solvent such as toluene or xylene, and injecting the same into an injector ( 120). At this time, the viscosity of the dielectric elastomer solution may be adjusted according to the amount of the organic solvent added to the dielectric elastomer material.

The injector 120 stores the liquid dielectric elastomer material injected from the syringe 110, that is, the dielectric elastomer solution, and mixes the liquid dielectric elastomer material injected from the plurality of syringes. Two stirring mixers (Stirrer Mix) 150a, 150b are provided. The liquid dielectric elastomer material stored in the injector is pressurized by the motor pump (M) 160 and injected through the nozzle 170. Accordingly, by controlling the pressurization speed of the pump 180, it is possible to adjust the injection amount of the dielectric elastomer material.

The high voltage generator 130 outputs a direct current voltage in the range of 5 kV to 50 kV, for example, to charge the molecules of the dielectric elastomer solution stored in the injector 120. Alternatively, high voltage generator 130 may be coupled to nozzle 170 and configured to charge the dielectric elastomer molecules.

The spin coater 140 rotates the collector screen 145 at high speed by driving a motor (not shown), and electrically connects the collector screen 145 from the nozzle 170 to the conductor screen 145. The injected nanometer-sized dielectric elastomer molecules are adsorbed.

More specifically, the collector screen 145 is grounded to form an electric field between the nozzle 170 and the collector screen 145, and the charged dielectric elastomer molecules injected through the nozzle 170 are driven by the electric field described above. Guided to and attached to the collector screen 145 of the spin coater. On the other hand, since the spin coater 140 rotates at a constant speed, the dielectric elastomer molecules attached to the collector screen 145 form a dielectric elastomer thin film having a uniform thickness. This thin film formation method is called electrospinning.

FIG. 4 illustrates a method of sequentially manufacturing a multilayer polymer actuator using the dielectric elastomer thin film forming method of FIG. 3, and includes a dielectric elastomer thin film manufacturing step (S110 to S150) and an electrode manufacturing step (S160). Repeat these steps until it is complete.

In more detail, in step S110, a dielectric elastomer solution in which one or more dielectric elastomer molecules are dissolved is injected into an injector (120 in FIG. 3), and the mixture is uniformly mixed and a high voltage is applied thereto. For example, when two or more dielectric elastomer molecules are mixed, an organic solvent is added to each dielectric elastomer material to make a dielectric elastomer solution, and these solutions are respectively injected into an injector and uniformly mixed with a stirring mixer.

Subsequently, the charged dielectric elastomer molecules in step S110 are injected through the nozzle, and are induced by an electric field as described above and attached to the collector screen of the spin coater (S120). At this time, as the spin coater rotates at a high speed, for example, 1000 rpm to 5000 rpm, the dielectric elastomer molecules attached to the collector screen spread to a uniform thickness to form a nano-dielectric thin film, and preferably the spin coating machine is rotated. Speed and rotation time are adjusted so that the thickness of the dielectric elastomer thin film is less than 100 nanometers.

Further, in step S120, a polymerization reaction may be induced between two or more charged dielectric elastomer molecules. That is, by controlling the magnitude of the high voltage applied to the dielectric elastomer molecules, the rotational speed of the spin coater, and the like, the two or more dielectric elastomer molecules provide a reaction energy capable of causing a mutual polymerization reaction.

Subsequent to the above-described step (S120), the dielectric elastomer thin film is heated in an oven or the like to cure to a solid state (S140), and a carbon electrode is laminated on the dielectric elastomer thin film (S150). Such carbon electrodes can be laminated by spin coating according to the prior art described above.

Finally, in step S160, the above-described steps (S110 to S150) are repeated until the stacked polymer actuator having the desired number of layers is completed, and the dielectric elastomer thin films and the electrodes in nano units are sequentially stacked.

Although the preferred embodiment according to the present invention has been described above, this is merely exemplary and those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and equivalent other embodiments are possible therefrom. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention should be defined by the following claims.

As described above, according to the present invention, by applying the electrospinning method to the conventional spin coating apparatus, the dielectric elastomer thin film in nano units can be effectively formed, and accordingly, the driving voltage of the polymer actuator can be drastically reduced to about tens of volts (V). Can be lowered. Moreover, the present invention has the additional advantage of minimizing facility changes for nano thin film fabrication due to similarity with existing processes.

Claims (8)

A method of manufacturing a laminated polymer actuator in which nano-dielectric elastomer thin films and electrodes are sequentially stacked, A first step of applying a high voltage to the dielectric elastomer solution in which the nanoelastic dielectric elastomer molecules are dissolved to charge the dielectric elastomer molecules; Spraying the charged dielectric elastomer molecules onto a collector screen of a spin coater; Rotating the dielectric elastomer molecules attached to the collector screen of the spin coater at high speed to form nano dielectric dielectric thin films; A fourth step of curing the formed dielectric elastomer thin film; Stacking an electrode on the cured dielectric elastomer thin film; The sixth step of sequentially stacking the dielectric elastomer thin film and the electrode by repeating the first to fifth steps Method for producing a laminated polymer actuator comprising a. The method of claim 1, The third step is to form a dielectric elastomer thin film having a thickness of 100 nanometers or less by a high speed rotation. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the first step A method for producing a laminated polymer actuator, wherein an organic solvent is added to one dielectric elastomer material to prepare the dielectric elastomer solution. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the first step An organic solvent is added to each of two or more dielectric elastomer molecules, and the mixture is prepared to prepare the dielectric elastomer solution. The method of claim 4, wherein the third step A method of producing a stacked polymer actuator that induces a polymerization reaction between the two or more charged dielectric elastomer molecules. As a device for manufacturing a nano-dielectric dielectric thin film that is warped, An injector for storing and spraying a dielectric elastomer solution in which nano dielectric dielectric elastomer molecules are dissolved, A high voltage generator for charging the dielectric elastomer molecules stored in the injector; The potential difference with the charged dielectric elastomer molecules, the charged dielectric elastomer molecules injected from the injector is attached, the spin coating machine to rotate the dielectric elastomer molecules at high speed to form a nano-dielectric thin film Device for manufacturing a nano-unit dielectric elastomer thin film comprising a. The method of claim 6, The spin coater is a device for producing a nano-unit dielectric elastomer thin film is controlled the rotation speed and rotation time to form a dielectric elastomer thin film having a thickness of 100 nanometers or less. The method of claim 7, wherein The injector stores a dielectric elastomer solution in which two or more dielectric elastomer molecules are mixed, The spin coater is a device for producing a nano-unit dielectric elastomer thin film that induces a polymerization reaction between the two or more charged dielectric elastomer molecules by high-speed rotation.

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