Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
2
Ionic Polymer-Metal
Nanocomposites (IPMNCs):
Fundamentals
2.1
INTRODUCTION
Ionic polymeric materials suitably made into a functionally graded composite with
a conductor (
ionic polymer conductor nanocomposite
[IPCNC] or
ionic poly-
mer-metal nanocomposites
[IPMNCs]) such as a metal or synthetic metal such as
conductive polymers or graphite that act as a distributed electrode can exhibit large
dynamic deformation if placed in a time-varying electric field (see fig. 2.1) (Oguro
et al., 1993; Shahinpoor 1991, 1992, 1993; Shahinpoor and Kim, 2001c). Typical
experimental deflection curves are depicted in figures 2.2(a), 2.2(b), 2.2(c), and 2.2(d).
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
FIGURE 2.1
Successive photographs of an IPMNC strip showing very large deformation.
Samples in (a) and (b) are 1 cm
×
4 cm
×
0.2 mm, with 2 V; samples in (c) and (d) are 1 cm
×
8 cm
×
0.34 mm with 4 V. Note that
∆
t
= 0.5 sec between (a), (b) and (c), (d).
23
