KR20120001166A - Electro active polymer actuator and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: An electro-active polymer driver is provided to reduce manufacturing time and production costs by executing the formation of a surface electrode pattern in an automated process. CONSTITUTION: An ion exchange polymer material(100) is composed of ion polymer metal composite compounds. The ion polymer metal composite compound comprises a first side(S1), a second side(S2), a third side(S3), and fourth side(S4). The ion polymer metal composite comprises a lower side(BS) and an upper side(TS) which is included in the bottom part of the first to fourth side. A surface electrode is formed in the surface of the ion exchange polymer material. The surface electrode comprises a first surface electrode to a fourth surface electrode(210a,210b,220a,220b).

Description

ELECTRICAL ACTIVE POLYMER ACTUATOR AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOF

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electroactive polymer actuator and a method of manufacturing the same, and more particularly, to a flexible electroactive polymer intelligent structure capable of three-dimensional continuous deformation and a manufacturing method thereof.

In recent years, electro-active polymers (EAPs) have been studied in many engineering fields due to their light weight and elasticity. Ionic Polymer-Metal Composites (IPMC) are one of the most popular electroactive polymer actuators with low electric drive potential, large deformation and light weight. Such ionic polymer metal composites are very attractive as actuators or sensors in many fields of biomedical and robotics engineering.

However, the conventional electroactive polymer actuator has a pair of surface electrodes in the form of a flat plate or a one-dimensional beam, bar shape. Accordingly, the existing electroactive polymer driver can be driven only by the X-axis and the Y-axis, and the demand for the electro-active polymer driver capable of driving in various directions is increasing.

In addition, the conventional electroactive polymer actuator takes a lot of time in the manufacturing process, there is also a need for a process that can reduce it.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an electroactive polymer actuator capable of driving in more various directions and a method of manufacturing the same.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an electroactive polymer actuator and a method for manufacturing the same, which can reduce the production time.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an electroactive polymer actuator comprising an ion exchange polymer material and at least two pairs of surface electrodes formed spaced apart from each other on the surface of the ion exchange polymer material.

The ion exchange polymer material may have a polygonal pillar shape. In this case, the surface electrode is formed on the surface except the edge region of the ion exchange polymer material.

Alternatively, the ion exchange polymer material may have a cylindrical or elliptic cylinder shape. In this case, the surface electrode may have a helix shape or a plurality of block shapes spaced apart from each other.

Meanwhile, the present invention can connect a plurality of electroactive polymer drivers in series or in parallel.

In the actuator of the present invention, the ion exchange polymer material includes an Ionic Polymer-Metal Composite (IPMC). The ionic polymer metal composite includes a platinum coating, hydrated cations, cations, water and a polymer network provided in the platinum coating.

In another aspect, the present invention provides a method for producing an electroactive polymer actuator comprising the step of preparing an ion exchange polymer material, and forming at least two pairs of surface electrodes on the ion exchange polymer material.

Producing an ion exchange polymer material includes laminating a Nafion film, thermocompressing the laminated Nafion film, and cutting the thermocompression Nafion film.

The thermocompression bonding of the laminated Nafion film may include heating the stacked Nafion film for 30 minutes without pressure at 180 degrees Celsius, and heating the stacked Nafion film at 180 degrees and 50 MPa for 20 minutes. Squeezing.

In addition, the laminated Nafion film may be thermocompressed for 20 minutes at a pressure of 50Mpa at 180 degrees, and then the laminated Nafion film may be cooled at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Producing the ion exchange polymer material may include preparing an ion exchange polymer material in a solution state and casting / curing the ion exchange polymer material in a solution state in a mold.

Forming at least two pairs of surface electrodes on the ion exchange polymer material may include sanding the ion exchange polymer material, plating the surface of the sanded ion exchange polymer material, and plating the plated ion exchange polymer material. Cutting the plating layer of the may include forming two or more pairs of surface electrodes.

Sanding the ion exchange polymer material may include sand blasting or sand papering the ion exchange polymer material.

In the step of forming the at least two pairs of surface electrodes by cutting the plated layer of the plated ion exchange polymer material, the cutting of the plated layer may be performed by using a mechanical three-axis or six-axis cutting device, or by using a laser or focused ion beam (Focused Ion Beam, FIB) or a mask and chemical etching method can be used.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an electroactive polymer actuator capable of forming a surface electrode on the surface of an ion exchange polymer material in a continuous and flexible morphing in real time in the X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis.

In addition, according to the present invention, two pairs of surface electrodes partitioned into a plurality of zones may be formed on the surface of the ion exchange polymer material, or a plurality of electroactive polymer actuators may be connected in series or in parallel to one electroactive polymer actuator. In addition, the X-axis, the Y-axis, and the Z-axis can realize the operation of a plurality of electroactive polymer drivers capable of continuous and flexible morphing in real time.

In addition, the present invention forms a surface electrode formed in the form of helix on the surface of the ion exchange polymer material, it is possible to provide an electroactive polymer actuator capable of continuous and flexible morphing in real time in the X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis.

In addition, the present invention can provide a method for producing an electroactive polymer actuator that can produce an ion-exchange polymer material in a desired shape, and the surface electrode pattern can be formed in an automated process, thereby reducing the production time and production cost. Can be.

In addition, the present invention can be produced through automated processes and equipment of ultra-precision processing equipment such as FIB from general machining, it is possible to manufacture the electroactive polymer actuator on a variety of scales, including ultra-small.

1 is a perspective view of an electroactive polymer actuator according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the principle of an electroactive polymer actuator according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
3 and 4 are views for explaining the basic concept of the electroactive polymer actuator according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a schematic diagram of an experimental setup of an electroactive polymer actuator according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a graph showing the step response of the electroactive polymer actuator according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a closed loop block diagram of an electroactive polymer actuator according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a graph of tip force measurement data of an electroactive polymer actuator according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
9 and 10 are open loop response graphs of an electroactive polymer actuator according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
11 is a graph comparing experimental data simulation results of the electroactive polymer actuator according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
12 is a graph of motion tracking results shaking in the X and Y directions of the electroactive polymer actuator according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 13 is a graph of tracking motion of a circular motion of the electroactive polymer actuator according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
14 to 16 are perspective views in series of an electroactive polymer actuator according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
17 is an exemplary view of a structure manufactured by the electroactive polymer actuator according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
18 is a perspective view of an electroactive polymer actuator according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
19 is a perspective view for explaining the movement of the electroactive polymer actuator according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
20 is a perspective view of an electroactive polymer actuator according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
21 is a perspective view of an electroactive polymer actuator according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
22 is a perspective view of an electroactive polymer actuator according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 23 is a perspective view illustrating a surface electrode to which electricity is applied in an electroactive polymer driver according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.
24 to 25 are flowcharts illustrating a method of manufacturing an electroactive polymer actuator according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but may be implemented in various forms. Therefore, the spirit of the present invention should not be interpreted as being determined by the matters described in the claims, but rather the specific embodiments. Like reference numerals in the drawings refer to like elements.

1 is a perspective view of an electroactive polymer driver according to a first embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the principle of the electroactive polymer driver according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, an electroactive polymer actuator according to a first embodiment of the present invention includes two or more pairs of surface electrodes 200 formed on the surface of the ion exchange polymer material 100 and the ion exchange polymer material 100. And an electrode pattern for supplying power to the surface electrode 200.

The ion exchange polymer material 100 is a material in which warpage is generated by electricity, and is made of an ion polymer-metal composite (IPMC). Also, as shown in FIG. 2, the ionic polymer metal composite includes a platinum coating, a cation provided in the platinum coating, a water, a polymer network, and a hydration cation, which is a polar solvent. hydrated cation).

On the other hand, the present embodiment exemplifies a square pillar-shaped ionic polymer metal composite, whereby the ionic polymer metal composite has a first side (S1) and the second side (S2) facing it, and the first side (S1) and The third side surface S3 located between the second side surfaces S2, the fourth side surface S4 facing the third side surface S3, and the first to fourth side surfaces S1, S2, S3, and S4. It includes a bottom surface (BS) provided on the bottom portion of the upper surface (TS) facing the lower surface (BS).

The surface electrode 200 is for applying electricity to the ion exchange polymer material from an external power source, and includes first to fourth surface electrodes 210a, 210b, 220a, and 220b. Since the present exemplary embodiment illustrates the square column-shaped ion exchange polymer material 100, the first to fourth surface electrodes 210a, 210b, 220a, and 220b are provided on the side surface of the ion exchange polymer material 100. . That is, the first surface electrode 210a is formed on the first side surface S1 of the ion exchange polymer material 100, and the second surface electrode 210b is formed on the second side surface S2. In addition, the third surface electrode 210c is formed on the third side surface S3 of the ion exchange polymer material 100, and the fourth surface electrode 210d is formed on the fourth side surface S4. In this case, the first to fourth surface electrodes 210a, 210b, 220a, and 220b are insulated from each other. In addition, the first surface electrode 210a and the third surface electrode are positioned to face each other, and serve as an oxidation electrode and a reduction electrode, respectively. Of course, the second surface electrode 210b and the fourth surface electrode are also provided to face each other, and serve as the oxidation electrode and the reduction electrode, respectively. In addition, as shown in an enlarged portion of FIG. 1, an electrode pattern for applying power to the first to fourth surface electrodes 210a, 210b, 220a, and 220b is formed below.

Referring to FIG. 2, the electroactive polymer actuator according to the present embodiment having such a structure includes a cation, a water, a polymer network and a cation provided in a platinum coating as described above. It includes a hydrated cation, which is a polar solvent, and does not deform when electricity is not applied to the surface electrode 200, as shown in FIG. However, referring to FIG. 2 (b), when electricity is applied to the surface electrode, the hydration cation moves to the reduction electrode and is rearranged, whereby the electroactive polymer driver is bent in the opposite direction to which the hydration cation is moved. Although the present invention utilizes this principle, it is possible to continuously and flexibly deform in the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions in real time by forming a surface electrode in a desired shape on the surface of the ion exchange polymer material 100.

Hereinafter, an operation of the electroactive polymer driver according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

3 and 4 are views for explaining the basic concept of the electroactive polymer actuator according to the first embodiment of the present invention. At this time, Figure 3 (a) is a five electroactive polymer driver is formed, Figure 3 (b) is a side view of the electroactive polymer driver. In addition, Figure 4 (a) shows the original position and the modified position by applying electricity based on the plan view of the electroactive polymer driver, Figure 4 (b) is the electricity is applied based on the plan view of the electroactive polymer driver Indicates.

와

까지 이동한다고 가정할 수 있다. z와 함께 각각 벤딩 모멘트에 의한 x와 y의 방향적 편향

와

은 아래의 수학식1로 표현될 수 있다. 3 and 4, first, when an external voltage is applied to the surface electrode of the driver, the driver tip has two independent bending moments.

Wow

It can be assumed to move to. Directional deflection of x and y due to bending moment with z respectively

Wow

May be represented by Equation 1 below.

과

아래의 수학식2에 의해, Young의 모듈러스 E, 관성 I의 두 번째 모멘트와 벤딩 모멘트

와

로 표현된다.Each directional deflection

and

According to Equation 2 below, Young's modulus E and inertia I's second moment and bending moment

Wow

Lt; / RTI >

Assuming the driver tip deflection is small, it can be assumed that the driver tip is coplanar during the movement of the driver. And the position of the driver tip can be represented by the x-y coordinate system. In addition, equation (3) is derived.

와

는 구동기 표면 전극에 인가된 전압으로 표현된다. 벤딩 모멘트가 응용된 전압에 비례한다고 가정하면, 아래의 수학식 4와 같이 구동기 팁의 위치를 인가된 전압과 관련시킬 수 있다.Bending moment

Wow

Is represented by the voltage applied to the driver surface electrode. Assuming that the bending moment is proportional to the applied voltage, the position of the driver tip may be related to the applied voltage as shown in Equation 4 below.

,

,

, 및

의 값은 정확하게 알기 어렵다. 따라서, 본 발명은 구동기 팁의 위치 X와 T를 아래의 수학식5로 가정했다.Since the bending of the driver occurs in the direction in which the positive voltage is applied, the moment Mx is negative. Indeed, there are many unknown attributes and uncertainties in IPMC.

,

,

, And

The value of is hard to know exactly. Therefore, the present invention assumes the positions X and T of the driver tip in Equation 5 below.

와

방향에 대해서 직류 2.6V의

와,

를 인가했다. 또한, 이에 대한 실험결과에 대해서 아래의 수학식6 및 수학식7과 같이 정리할 수 있다.

Wow

DC 2.6V for direction

Wow,

Authorized. In addition, the experimental results can be summarized as in Equations 6 and 7 below.

에 대한 계수는 아래의 수학식8과 같으며,

에 대한 계수는 아래의 수학식9와 같다.The least squares regression instruction LSQ CURVE FIT was used in Matlab.

The coefficient for is given by Equation 8 below,

The coefficient for is given by Equation 9 below.

에 대한 입력과 출력 수득률의 라플라스 변환은 아래의 수학식10과 같고,

에 대한 입력과 출력 수득률의 라플라스 변환은 아래의 수학식11과 같다.

The Laplace transform of the input and output yield for is given by Equation 10 below,

The Laplace transform of the input and output yields is given by Equation 11 below.

Therefore, the open-loop transfer functions are shown in Equations 12 and 13 below.

Here, a digital PI controller was designed and simulated to control the tip position of the actuator. After the simulation, the actual system was implemented and the performance of the closed loop was analyzed. The digital PI regulator was designed in the form of Equation 14 and implemented with a 100 Hz sampling frequency to achieve the control target.

은

변환의 오퍼레이터이고,

와

와

및

는 비례적분 이득과 관련된 제어기 매개 변수이다. 또한,

는 샘플링 주기이다.
In Equation 14,

silver

Is the operator of the transformation,

Wow

Wow

And

Is the controller parameter associated with the proportional integral gain. Also,

Is the sampling period.

Hereinafter, the experimental results of the electroactive polymer actuator according to the first embodiment of the present invention described above will be described with reference to the drawings.

Referring to FIG. 5, a power supply, an amplifier connected with a power supply, a DAQ board connected with an amplifier, a PC connected with a DAQ board, and a PC to test the operation of the electroactive polymer driver according to the present embodiment. And a CCD camera connected to the camera. In addition, the electroactive polymer driver according to the present embodiment is connected to the amplifier, the CCD camera connected to the PC captures the planar movement of the electroactive polymer driver and transmits to the PC. Here, an input voltage of DC 5V was applied to the step input.

Accordingly, the step responses in the X and Y directions of the electroactive polymer actuator are shown in FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b).

Referring to FIG. 8, the force of the driver tip generated in the X direction of the electroactive polymer actuator according to the present embodiment increases over time to a maximum of 34.84 [mN], and the force of the driver tip generated in the Y direction is also increased. Over time, it increases to a maximum of 41.34 [mN]. This is shown in Table 1 below.

direction Force at actuator tip [mN] X 34.84 Y 41.34

8 and 9, sinusoidal reference inputs were set for 100 seconds in both open and closed loops. In addition, as shown in Figure 8, in the open loop, it can be seen that the difference in the position of the input value and the actual electroactive polymer actuator tip in both the X direction and the Y direction. However, referring to FIG. 9, in the case of the Peruf, it can be seen that the input value and the position of the actual electroactive polymer actuator tip are hardly different in both X and Y directions. As shown in FIG. 10 comparing the simulation and the position of the actual electroactive polymer actuator tip, in the case of the closed loop, the simulation result in the X direction and the position of the actual electroactive polymer actuator tip and the simulation result in the Y direction are shown. It can be seen that the positions of and the actual electroactive polymer actuator tip are almost the same.

12 and 13, the X- and Y-direction motions of the closed loop swing motion are also substantially the same as the input value and the tip position of the actual electrically active polymer actuator.

On the other hand, the electroactive polymer drivers according to the present embodiment can be connected in series or in parallel. This will be described with reference to the drawings. In this case, the series connection is a form in which the upper or lower surfaces of the plurality of electroactive polymer drivers are connected to each other, and the parallel connection is a form in which the side surfaces of the plurality of electroactive polymer drivers are connected to each other.

14 to 16 are perspective views connected in series of the electroactive polymer actuator according to the first embodiment of the present invention, Figure 17 is an illustration of a structure manufactured by the electroactive polymer actuator according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in Fig. 14, in this embodiment, two electroactive polymer drivers may be connected in series. In this case, as illustrated in FIGS. 15 and 16, bending in various directions is possible. In addition, the present embodiment may be manufactured in a box frame shape by connecting a plurality of electroactive polymer drivers in series, as shown in FIG. Of course, the structure shown in Figs. 15 to 17 can also be applied to the electroactive polymer driver according to the second to fifth embodiments of the present invention to be described below.

As described above, the present embodiment can provide an electroactive polymer actuator capable of continuously and flexibly morphing in real time on the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis by forming two pairs of surface electrodes on the surface of the ion exchange polymer material.

Next, an electroactive polymer actuator according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Among the contents to be described later, the description overlapping with the description of the electroactive polymer driver according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be omitted or briefly described.

18 is a perspective view of an electroactive polymer driver according to a second embodiment of the present invention, Figure 19 is a perspective view for explaining the movement of the electroactive polymer driver according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 18, the electroactive polymer actuator according to the second embodiment of the present invention has two or more pairs of surface electrodes 200 formed on the surface of the ion exchange polymer material 100 and the ion exchange polymer material 100. And an electrode pattern for applying power to the surface electrode 200. Here, the description of the ion exchange polymer material 100 is omitted because it overlaps with the description of the electroactive polymer driver according to the first embodiment of the present invention described above.

The surface electrode 200 is for applying electricity to the ion exchange polymer material with an external power source, and includes the first to fourth surface electrodes 210, 220, 230, and 240. Since the present embodiment also exemplifies an ion-exchange polymer material having a square pillar shape like the electroactive polymer driver according to the first embodiment of the present invention described above, the first to fourth surface electrodes 210, 220, 230, and 240 are The first to fourth side surfaces S1, S2, S3, and S4 of the ion exchange polymer material 100 are respectively formed. Here, the present embodiment divides each of the first to fourth surface electrodes 210, 220, 230, and 240 so that one electroactive polymer driver is three electroactive polymer drivers according to the first embodiment of the present invention. To represent the same movement as combining.

This embodiment illustrates that each of the first to fourth surface electrodes 210, 220, 230, and 240 is divided into three portions. That is, the first surface electrode 210 may include the first-first surface electrode 210a, the first-first surface electrode 210b electrically insulated from the first-first surface electrode 210a, and the first-first surface electrode 210a. And a first to third surface electrode 210c electrically insulated from the surface electrode 210a and the first and second surface electrodes 210b. In addition, the second surface electrode 220 includes a 2-1 surface electrode 220a, a 2-2 surface electrode 220b, and a 2-3 surface electrode 220c electrically insulated from each other. The surface electrode 230 includes a 3-1 surface electrode 230a, a 3-2 surface electrode 230b, and a 3-3 surface electrode 230c electrically insulated from each other. In addition, the fourth surface 240 electrode also includes a 4-1 surface electrode 240a, a 4-2 surface electrode 240b, and a 4-3 surface electrode 240c electrically insulated from each other.

That is, the electroactive polymer driver according to the present embodiment is a first surface electrode pair, in which the first-first surface electrode 210a and the second-first surface electrode 220a are a pair of surface electrodes, and the third-first surface. The electrode 230a and the 4-1st surface electrode 240a become a second surface electrode pair which is a pair of surface electrodes. Further, the 1-2 surface electrode 210b and the 2-2 surface electrode 220b become the third surface electrode pair which is a pair of surface electrodes, and the 3-2 surface electrode 230b and the 4-2 surface The electrode 240b becomes a fourth surface electrode pair that is a pair of surface electrodes. In addition, the first-third surface electrode 210c and the second-third surface electrode 220c become a fifth surface electrode pair that is a pair of surface electrodes, and the third-3rd surface electrode 230c and the fourth-3rd surface. The electrode 240c becomes a sixth surface electrode pair that is a pair of surface electrodes.

As shown in FIG. 19 (a) by this structure, there is no warp when no electricity is applied to the surface electrode, but as shown in FIG. 19 (b), the first and second surface electrode pairs When electricity is applied to at least one of the third and fourth surface electrode pairs, and the fifth and sixth surface electrode pairs, the surface electrode pairs are bent.

As described above, the present embodiment forms two pairs of surface electrodes partitioned into a plurality of zones on the surface of the ion exchange polymer material and is continuously and flexible in real time in the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis with one electroactive polymer actuator. It is possible to provide an electroactive polymer driver capable of realizing the operation of a plurality of morphable electroactive polymer drivers.

Next, an electroactive polymer actuator according to a third embodiment of the present invention in which a surface electrode is formed in a helix structure will be described with reference to the drawings. Among the contents to be described later, descriptions overlapping with those of the electroactive polymer drivers according to the first and second embodiments of the present invention will be omitted or briefly described.

20 is a perspective view of an electroactive polymer actuator according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 20, the electroactive polymer actuator according to the third embodiment of the present invention includes two or more pairs of surface electrodes formed in the form of helix on the surface of the ion exchange polymer material 100 and the ion exchange polymer material 100. 200 and an electrode pattern for applying electricity to the surface electrode 200. The present embodiment here illustrates a cylindrical shape as the ion exchange polymer material 100.

The surface electrode 200 is for applying electricity to the ion exchange polymer material 100 with an external power source, and the first to fourth surface electrodes 210, 220, 230, and 240 have a helix shape on the surface of the ion exchange polymer material. Is formed. Of course, the first to fourth surface electrodes 210, 220, 230, and 240 are electrically insulated from each other.

Meanwhile, the present embodiment also divides each of the first to fourth surface electrodes 210, 220, 230, and 240 into a plurality of electroactive polymers, such as the electroactive polymer driver according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The driver can be operated like many electroactive polymer drivers.

As described above, the present embodiment can provide an electroactive polymer actuator capable of continuous and flexible morphing in real time in the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis by forming a surface electrode formed in a helix shape on the surface of the ion exchange polymer material. . In addition, the present embodiment forms two pairs of helix-type surface electrodes divided into a plurality of zones on the surface of the ion exchange polymer material and is continuously connected to the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis with one electroactive polymer actuator. It is possible to provide an electroactive polymer driver capable of implementing the operation of a plurality of electroactive polymer drivers capable of flexible morphing.

Next, an electroactive polymer actuator according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention having an ion exchange polymer material having a hexagonal column shape will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Among the contents to be described later, the description overlapping with the description of the electroactive polymer driver according to the first to third embodiments of the present invention will be omitted or briefly described.

21 is a perspective view of an electroactive polymer actuator according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 21, the electroactive polymer actuator according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention has three hexagonal pillar-shaped ion exchange polymer materials 100 and three surfaces formed on the surface of the ion exchange polymer materials 100. The pair of surface electrodes 200 and electrode patterns for applying power to the surface electrodes 200 are included.

In the present embodiment, the ion exchange polymer material 100 is made of the above-described material, but the shape thereof is a hexagonal column. In addition, the surface electrode 200 is formed on the side surface of the ion exchange polymer material 100 having a hexagonal pillar shape, and is formed on the side surface except the edge portion. Accordingly, three pairs of surface electrodes 200 are formed on the side surface of the ion exchange polymer material 100 having six side surfaces, thereby enabling more precise movement.

Next, an electroactive polymer actuator according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention in which a plurality of surface electrodes having a block shape in a cylindrical ion exchange polymer material is described with reference to the drawings. Among the contents to be described later, the description overlapping with the description of the electroactive polymer driver according to the first to fourth embodiments of the present invention will be omitted or briefly described.

As shown in FIG. 22, the electroactive polymer actuator according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention has a cylindrical shape of an ion exchange polymer material 100 and a plurality of blocks formed on the surface of the ion exchange polymer material 100. The surface electrode 200 and an electrode pattern for applying power to the surface electrode 200 are included.

In this embodiment, the ion exchange polymer material 100 is made of the above-described material, the shape of which is cylindrical. In addition, the surface electrode 200 is formed on the side surface of the cylindrical ion-exchange polymer material 100, and a plurality of block-shaped surface electrodes 200 are formed. At this time, by adjusting the area of the plurality of block-shaped surface electrode 200, the number formed on the surface of the ion exchange polymer material 100 can be adjusted. As a result, the surface electrode 200 having a plurality of pairs is formed in the ion exchange polymer material 100 to allow more precise movement. Of course, the ion exchange polymer material 100 is not limited to a cylindrical shape, it may be an elliptic cylinder shape.

As shown in FIG. 23, the electroactive polymer driver according to the present exemplary embodiment having such a structure may finely control the movement of the electroactive polymer driver by applying electric power to only some of the surface electrodes having a plurality of block shapes. . Here, among the plurality of surface electrodes 200 having the block shape illustrated in FIG. 23, the hatched surface electrodes represent surface electrodes activated by applying power, and the surface electrodes not hatched are surfaces inactivated because no power is applied. Means an electrode.

Next, a method of manufacturing an electroactive polymer actuator according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

24 and 25 are flowcharts illustrating a method of manufacturing an electroactive polymer actuator according to the present invention.

In the method of manufacturing an electroactive polymer actuator according to the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 24 and 25, a step of preparing an ion exchange polymer material (a to g of FIGS. 24 and 25) and forming a surface electrode is provided. (H to j in FIG. 25).

The step of preparing the ion exchange polymer material includes the steps of preparing a mold, laminating a Nafion film (b), supplying a Nafion film to the mold (x), and applying heat and pressure. (d), removing the mold (e), and cutting in the form of a beam (f to g).

Step (a) of manufacturing a mold manufactures a mold in the form of an electroactive polymer driver to be manufactured. This can be realized by fabricating a mold having a groove in the shape of a square recess.

Stacking the Nafion film (b) cuts the Nafion film to the rectangular recess shape of the mold, and stacks a plurality of cut Nafion films.

In step (c) of supplying the Nafion film to the mold, the Nafion film cut and stacked in the step of stacking the Nafion film is supplied to the prepared mold. Of course, the laminated Nafion film must be supplied to the square recess groove of the mold.

In step (d) of applying heat and pressure, the Nafion film is pressed by applying heat and pressure to the mold. This is done by heating for 30 minutes without pressure at a temperature of 180 degrees Celsius and then applying a pressure of 50 MPa for 20 minutes at a temperature of 180 degrees Celsius. Thereafter, the mold is cooled for 20 minutes at room temperature.

Step (e) of removing the mold separates the compressed Nafion film from the mold.

Cutting (f to g) in the form of a beam cuts the compressed Nafion film into a plurality of beams to complete the ion exchange polymer material 100a in the form of a beam. Of course, the step of cutting in the form of a beam may be differently cut according to the shape of the target ion exchange polymer material 100. For example, when the ion exchange polymer material 100 has a square pillar shape, the ion exchange polymer material 100 is cut into a beam-shaped ion exchange polymer material 100 a as described above, and when the ion exchange polymer material 100 has a hexagonal pillar shape or a cylindrical shape, the ion exchange polymer material 100 is cut to correspond to this.

On the other hand, the present embodiment, but the ion-exchange polymer material 100 was manufactured by thermocompression bonding the Nafion film, the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, the ion exchange polymer material 100 according to the present invention may be manufactured by casting the solution of the ion exchange polymer material in a mold state and then curing it.

In the forming of the electrode (h to j), the prepared ion-exchange polymer material is sanded and then plated to form a base of the surface electrode on the surface of the ion-exchange polymer material, and cut to form a plurality of surface electrodes. Forming such an electrode includes sanding, plating (h), and cutting (i).

The sanding step is sand blasting or sand papering the ion exchange polymer material.

The plating step (h) first heats the ion exchange polymer material in deionized water (DI water) for 1 hour and then in 5% sulfur solution for 1 hour. Subsequently, the solution is immersed in a tetra-amine platinum chloride hydrate ((Pt (NH ₃ ) ₃ ] Cl ₂ ) solution at 60 degrees Celsius for at least 6 hours. Next, ion exchange in deionized water at 40 degrees Celsius. Dip the polymeric material and add a 5% NaBH ₄ solution every 30 minutes for at least 2 hours, during which the temperature is raised to 60 degrees Celsius, then immersed in deionized water for 1 hour and heated at room temperature. To dry.

The sanding and plating steps are then repeated several times until the electrical resistance is reduced.

Finally, the edges of the ion exchange polymer material are cut (i) to form a plurality of surface electrodes, eg, first to fourth surface electrodes, electrically separated from each other (j). This can be done by removing unwanted or insulated portions of the surface electrodes formed using mechanical three or six axis cutting equipment. Of course, cutting may be performed using a laser or a focused ion beam (FIB). Furthermore, the mask may be performed by placing a mask fabricated in a desired pattern on a surface electrode in advance and then removing an unwanted portion or a portion requiring insulation by a chemical method.

On the other hand, when the surface electrode includes more surface electrodes than the first to fourth surface electrodes, not only the edges of the surface of the ion exchange polymer material but also other regions are cut or other regions except the edge regions are cut. You may. For example, when a plurality of block electrodes are formed on the surface of a cylindrical ion exchange polymer material, the plurality of surface electrodes are electrically insulated from each other, rather than cutting edges of the ion exchange polymer material. The surface must be cut between the electrodes. Of course, when a large number of helix-shaped surface electrodes are formed on the surface of the cylindrical ion-exchange polymer material, it is also necessary to cut between the plurality of helix-shaped surface electrodes, not the edges of the ion-exchange polymer material.

As described above, the present invention can produce the ion-exchange polymer material into a desired shape, and the formation of the surface electrode pattern can proceed on an automated process, thereby reducing the production time and production cost. In addition, the present invention can be produced through automated processes and equipment of ultra-precision processing equipment such as FIB from general machining, it is possible to provide a method of manufacturing an electroactive polymer actuator that can be produced on a variety of scales, including microminiature.

100: ion exchange polymer material 200: surface electrode
TS: Top BS: Bottom
S1: first side S2: second side
S3: third side S4: fourth side

Claims (17)

Ion exchange polymer material,
And at least two pairs of surface electrodes formed spaced apart from each other on the surface of the ion exchange polymer material. The method according to claim 1,
The ion exchange polymer material is an electroactive polymer actuator, characterized in that the polygonal pillar shape. The method according to claim 2,
And the surface electrode is formed on a surface excluding a corner region of the ion exchange polymer material. The method according to claim 1,
The ion exchange polymer material is an electroactive polymer actuator, characterized in that the cylindrical or elliptic cylinder shape. The method of claim 4,
And said surface electrode is helix-shaped. The method of claim 4,
The surface electrode is an electroactive polymer actuator, characterized in that the block shape. The method according to claim 1,
The electroactive polymer driver is a plurality of electroactive polymer driver, characterized in that connected in series or in parallel. The method according to claim 1,
Electro-active polymer actuator, characterized in that the ion-exchange polymer material is an ion polymer-metal composite (IPMC). The method according to claim 8,
Wherein said ionic polymer metal composite comprises a platinum coating, a hydration cation provided in said platinum coating, a cation, water and a polymer network. Preparing an ion exchange polymer material,
And forming at least two pairs of surface electrodes on the ion exchange polymer material. The method according to claim 10,
Preparing the ion exchange polymer material,
Laminating the Nafion film,
Thermally compressing the laminated Nafion film;
And cutting the thermocompression Nafion film. The method of claim 11,
Thermo-compression bonding the laminated Nafion film,
Heating the laminated Nafion film;
The method of manufacturing an electroactive polymer actuator comprising the step of pressing the heated Nafion film. The method of claim 12,
After the thermo-compression bonding of the laminated Nafion film,
The method of manufacturing an electroactive polymer actuator comprising the step of cooling the laminated Nafion film. The method according to claim 10,
Preparing the ion exchange polymer material,
Preparing an ion exchange polymer material in a solution state;
And casting / curing the ion exchange polymer material in the solution state in a mold. The method according to claim 10,
Forming two or more pairs of surface electrodes on the ion exchange polymer material,
Sanding the ion exchange polymer material;
Plating the surface of the sanded ion exchange polymer material,
Cutting the plated layer of the plated ion exchange polymer material to form two or more pairs of surface electrodes. The method according to claim 15,
Sanding the ion exchange polymer material,
Sandblasting or sandpapering the ion-exchange polymer material. The method according to claim 15,
Cutting the plated layer of the plated ion exchange polymer material to form two or more pairs of surface electrodes,
The cutting of the plating layer is a method of manufacturing an electroactive polymer actuator, characterized in that using any one of a mechanical three-axis or six-axis cutting equipment, laser, focused ion beam, mask and chemical etching method.

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