Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Oxidation
Oxidation
Reduction
Reduction
Hinge molecules (for example, calix [4] arene)
Rigid rods: hiophene chains
FIGURE 8.5
Picture showing the actuation mechanism of a molecular actuator based on PT
chains interconnected with a highly versatile molecule as a calixarene. (Anquetil, P. A. et al.
2002. In
Proceedings of SPIE
smart structures and materials symposium
, 4695.)
The thiophene chains attract to each other in the oxidized state, contracting the
material. This strain is reversible during the reduction of the polymer (Anquetil et
al., 2002). Thus, these novel polymers hold the promise of improving the speed
limits of the PPy and PANi actuators caused by ionic diffusion rate.
