Abstract
Electrically charged cellular polymers are known to display pseudo-piezoelectric effects that endow them with interesting mechano-electrical characteristics. When a film of such a polymer is compressed, charge is generated across its thickness, and conversely, applying an oscillatory or static potential elicits mechanical motions. This dual sensor-actuator behaviour can be embedded in one material and presents distinct advantages of functional integration. A novel electroactive foam is presented here that embeds such a sensor-actuator function. The foam has a sensitivity constant (d33) of 330 pC N−1. Interestingly, the resonant behaviour of the cellular film can be altered by variation in the DC offset across the material. Such adaptive capacity could be of great advantage for tuning polymer-based mechanical devices to be either efficient sound radiators and mechanical actuators, or sensitive and coherent sensors. Possible applications in microfluidics are also discussed.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 035506 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Nanotechnology |
Volume | 19 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 23 Jan 2008 |
Keywords
- soft matter
- liquids
- polymers
- electronics
- devices
- condensed matter
- electrical
- magnetic
- optical
- instrumentation
- measurement
- nanoscale science
- low-D systems