Electrically controllable liquid crystal elastomer-graphite composite artifical muscles

Heino Finkelmann; Mohsen Shahinpoor

doi:10.1117/12.475190

11 July 2002 Electrically controllable liquid crystal elastomer-graphite composite artifical muscles

Heino Finkelmann, Mohsen Shahinpoor

Proceedings Volume 4695, Smart Structures and Materials 2002: Electroactive Polymer Actuators and Devices (EAPAD); (2002) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.475190
Event: SPIE's 9th Annual International Symposium on Smart Structures and Materials, 2002, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

Reported is the fabrication method and experimental results pertaining to a new class of liquid crystal elastometer- graphite (LCE-G) composites as electrically controllable biomimetic artificial muscles. These films (10mmx20mmx0.32mm) of monodomain nematic liquid side chain crystal elastomers graphite (LSCE-G) composites were transversely pressed between uniform layers of fine graphite powder of 2 microns average diameter under a stress of 100 kPa. The resulting composite expanded to (12 mmx24mmx0.33mm) and had about 53% by volume embedded graphite powder. The composite became a conductor and had an effective resistivity of about 2 ohms/square on its surface and about 1 ohmsquare across its thickness. Upon applying DC voltage of 0.5 to 5 volts to the samples for 4 seconds, under a stress if abiyt 10 kPa, the sample contracted quickly in about a second to about 18 mm lengthwise with an average linear strain of about 25%. The samples generally had negligible contractions in the thickness and transverse direction. The cooling was also quick and it took the sample about 4.4 seconds to revert back to its initial length.

Citation Download Citation

Heino Finkelmann and Mohsen Shahinpoor "Electrically controllable liquid crystal elastomer-graphite composite artifical muscles", Proc. SPIE 4695, Smart Structures and Materials 2002: Electroactive Polymer Actuators and Devices (EAPAD), (11 July 2002); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.475190

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