Engineering, Industrial, and Medical Applications of Ionic Polymer–Metal Nanocomposites - Artificial Muscles - page 361

9.3.1.1 Electroactive Polymer-Powered Miniature Heart

Compression Experiment

Here some preliminary data concerning a miniature heart compression device equipped
with IPMNCs are presented. First, the force generated by each strip at 5 V and 0.5 Å
is measured and then the pressure generated when squeezing a small balloon or the
rat's heart is measured. (These results were obtained by heart surgeon Dr. PierGiorgio
Tozzi of Lausanne, Switzerland; see fig. 9.44.) Figures 9.45(a) and 9.45(b) depict the
variation of pressure generated in millimeters of mercury with the voltage applied.

FIGURE 9.44 Miniature heart compression device equipped with IPMNC muscles .

10

9. 6

Weight (gr)
Surface (dm 2)
gr developed

9

8 7.6

7.4

7

6

5

4

4

3.6

3.51

3

2.7

2.34

2

1.53

1.2

1.17

1.02

1

0.55

0.42

0.36

0.28 0.24

0.18

0

hick
platinum

hick
gold

Ver y
thick
platinum

2x thick
gold

3x thick
gold

hin
gold

FIGURE 9.45(a) Pressure generation versus electrode thickness.