Mechanical Work and Electromechanical Coupling in Ionic Polymer Bender Actuators

Author(s):  
Kenneth Newbury ◽  
Donald J. Leo ◽  
Orion Parrot

Abstract This paper presents a coupled, electromechanical model of a Nafion-based ionic polymer transducer used in the cantilevered bender configuration. A comparison of simulated and experimental responses for a 0.2mm × 5.0mm × 17mm actuator validates both the form of the model and the empirically determined model parameters. In one of the experiments used for parameter identification, the short circuit current is found to be proportional to the induced actuator velocity, with the constant of proportionality equal to 7.5E−04 A m / s . This model differs from those presented by other researchers in that it is simple, dynamic, and is able to represent the transducer as either a sensor or as an actuator. Also presented is an assessment of the polymer actuators’ ability to perform mechanical work. The results of a series of force versus deflection experiments are outlined, and energy densities are calculated to facilitate comparison with other actuator technologies. The maximum blocked force with a 1.25V step input was 1.6mN (with a 17mm actuator), and the maximum free deflection with a 1.25V step input was 1.8mm (with a 22mm actuator). The energy densities ranged from 1.1 to 12.8 mJ/kg and 3.4E−06 to 4.0E−05 mJ/mm3 with an input range of 0.75V to 1.25V.

Polymers ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 803 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Zhao ◽  
Jiazheng Sheng ◽  
Di Xu ◽  
Minzhong Gao ◽  
Qinglong Meng ◽  
...  

An ionic polymer–metal composite (IPMC) is a kind of soft material. The applications of IPMC in actuators, environmental sensing, and energy harvesting are currently increasing rapidly. In this study, an ordered Nafion nanofibre mat prepared by electrospinning was used to investigate the characteristics of the mechanoelectrical transduction of IPMC. The morphologies of the Nafion nanofibre mat were characterized. The proton conductivity, ion exchange capacities, and water uptake potential of the Nafion nanofibre mat were compared to traditional IPMC, respectively. A novel mechanism of Nafion nanofibre IPMC was designed and the open circuit voltage and short circuit current were measured. The maximum voltage value reached 100 mv. The output power was 3.63 nw and the power density was up to 42.4 μW/Kg under the load resistance. The Nafion nanofibre mat demonstrates excellent mechanoelectrcical transduction behavior compared to traditional IPMC and could be used for the development of self-powered devices in the future.


Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (21) ◽  
pp. 7213
Author(s):  
Xuhui Zhang ◽  
Chao Zhang ◽  
Lin Wang ◽  
Luyang Chen ◽  
Xiaoyu Chen ◽  
...  

This paper proposes a parameter identification method for the multiparameter identification study of the linear–arch composite beam piezoelectric energy harvester. According to the voltage response characteristics of the system under short-circuit conditions, the mechanical equation is solved by transient excitation, combined with the backbone curve theory and logarithmic attenuation method, to obtain the system’s linear damping, linear stiffness, and nonlinear stiffness. According to the voltage response characteristics of the system under open-circuit conditions, combined with the electrical equations, the system electromechanical coupling coefficient and equivalent capacitance coefficient are obtained; numerical simulation results show that the identification parameters have good accuracy. Finally, an experimental platform was built for verification, and the results show that the method has high accuracy and practicability.


Author(s):  
Kenneth Newbury ◽  
Donald J. Leo

A coupled, linear electromechanical model is developed for ionic polymer transducers. The model is based on the linear equations for a piezoelectric material. Integrating the equations over the geometry of the transducer produces a model of the electromechanical coupling of the polymer transducers as a function of fundamental material parameters and geometry. Explicit modeling of electromechanical coupling produces a model that is useful for analyzing sensing or actuation using ionic polymer transducers. Experiments on polymer samples verify the scaling of the model parameters as a function of sample length and width. The results also demonstrate the reciprocity of the electromechanical coupling. The symmetric model is expressed as a linear transformer which can be incorporated into system-level models for design of devices that utilize ionic polymer materials. The model is limited to linear operation at low-voltage with constant levels of material hydration.


2013 ◽  
Vol 133 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-44
Author(s):  
Suresh Chand Verma ◽  
Yoshiki Nakachi ◽  
Yoshihiko Wazawa ◽  
Yoko Kosaka ◽  
Takenori Kobayashi ◽  
...  

2017 ◽  
pp. 34-41
Author(s):  
Andrei V. MAIOROV ◽  
◽  
Kirill A. OSINTSEV ◽  
Andrei V. SHUNTOV ◽  
◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 556-567
Author(s):  
Asma Khalil ◽  
Zubair Ahmad ◽  
Farid Touati ◽  
Mohamed Masmoudi

Background: The photo-absorption and light trapping through the different layers of the organic solar cell structures are a growing concern now-a-days as it affects dramatically the overall efficiency of the cells. In fact, selecting the right material combination is a key factor in increasing the efficiency in the layers. In addition to good absorption properties, insertion of nanostructures has been proved in recent researches to affect significantly the light trapping inside the organic solar cell. All these factors are determined to expand the absorption spectrum and tailor it to a wider spectrum. Objective: The purpose of this investigation is to explore the consequence of the incorporation of the Ag nanostructures, with different sizes and structures, on the photo absorption of the organic BHJ thin films. Methods: Through a three-dimensional Maxwell solver software, Lumerical FDTD, a simulation and comparison of the optical absorption of the three famous organic materials blends poly(3- hexylthiophene): phenyl C71 butyric acid methyl ester (P3HT:PCBM), poly[N-9″-heptadecanyl-2,7- carbazole-alt-5,5-(4′,7′-di-2-thienyl-2′,1′,3′-benzothiadiazole)]: phenyl C71 butyric acid methyl ester (PCDTBT:PCBM) and poly[2,6-(4,4-bis-(2-ethylhexyl)-4H-cyclopenta[2,1-b;3,4-b′]dithiophene)-alt- 4,7-(2,1,3-benzothiadiazole)]: phenyl C71 butyric acid methyl ester (PCDPDTBT:PCBM) has been conducted. Furthermore, FDTD simulation study of the incorporation of nanoparticles structures with different sizes, in different locations and concentrations through a bulk heterojunction organic solar cell structure has also been performed. Results: It has been demonstrated that embedding nanostructures in different locations of the cell, specifically in the active layer and the hole transporting layer had a considerable effect of widening the absorption spectrum and increasing the short circuit current. The effect of incorporation the nanostructures in the active layer has been proved to be greater than in the HTL. Furthermore, the comparison results showed that, PCDTBT:PCBM is no more advantageous over P3HT:PCBM and PCPDTBT:PCBM, and P3HT:PCBM took the lead and showed better performance in terms of absorption spectrum and short circuit current value. Conclusion: This work revealed the significant effect of size, location and concentration of the Ag nanostructures while incorporated in the organic solar cell. In fact, embedding nanostructures in the solar cell widen the absorption spectrum and increases the short circuit current, this result has been proven to be significant only when the nanostructures are inserted in the active layer following specific dimensions and structures.


2020 ◽  
Vol 89 (3) ◽  
pp. 30201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xi Guan ◽  
Shiyu Wang ◽  
Wenxing Liu ◽  
Dashan Qin ◽  
Dayan Ban

Organic solar cells based on planar copper phthalocyanine (CuPc)/C60 heterojunction have been characterized, in which a 2 nm-thick layer of bathocuproine (BCP) is inserted into the CuPc layer. The thin layer of BCP allows hole current to tunnel it through but blocks the exciton diffusion, thereby altering the steady-state exciton profile in the CuPc zone (zone 1) sandwiched between BCP and C60. The short-circuit current density (JSC) of device is limited by the hole-exciton scattering effect at the BCP/CuPc (zone 1) interface. Based on the variation of JSC with the width of zone 1, the exciton diffusion length of CuPc is deduced to be 12.5–15 nm. The current research provides an easy and helpful method to determine the exciton diffusion lengths of organic electron donors.


Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (22) ◽  
pp. 5986
Author(s):  
Tao Chen ◽  
Hao Guo ◽  
Leiming Yu ◽  
Tao Sun ◽  
Anran Chen ◽  
...  

Si/PEDOT: PSS solar cell is an optional photovoltaic device owing to its promising high photovoltaic conversion efficiency (PCE) and economic manufacture process. In this work, dopamine@graphene was firstly introduced between the silicon substrate and PEDOT:PSS film for Si/PEDOT: PSS solar cell. The dopamine@graphene was proved to be effective in improving the PCE, and the influence of mechanical properties of dopamine@graphene on solar cell performance was revealed. When dopamine@graphene was incorporated into the cell preparation, the antireflection ability of the cell was enhanced within the wavelength range of 300~450 and 650~1100 nm. The enhanced antireflection ability would benefit amount of the photon-generated carriers. The electrochemical impedance spectra test revealed that the introduction of dopamine@graphene could facilitate the separation of carriers and improve the junction quality. Thus, the short-circuit current density and fill factor were both promoted, which led to the improved PCE. Meanwhile, the influence of graphene concentration on device performances was also investigated. The photovoltaic conversion efficiency would be promoted from 11.06% to 13.15% when dopamine@graphene solution with concentration 1.5 mg/mL was applied. The achievements of this study showed that the dopamine@graphene composites could be an useful materials for high-performance Si/PEDOT:PSS solar cells.


1991 ◽  
Vol 261 (2) ◽  
pp. L188-L194 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. I. Plews ◽  
Z. A. Abdel-Malek ◽  
C. A. Doupnik ◽  
G. D. Leikauf

The endothelins (ET) are a group of isopeptides produced by a number of cells, including canine tracheal epithelial cells. Because these compounds are endogenous peptides that may activate eicosanoid metabolism, we investigated the effects of ET on Cl secretion in canine tracheal epithelium. Endothelin 1 (ET-1) was found to produce a dose-dependent change in short-circuit current (Isc) that increased slowly and reached a maximal value within 10-15 min. When isopeptides of ET were compared, 300 nM ET-1 and ET-2 produced comparable maximal increases in Isc, whereas ET-3 produced smaller changes in Isc (half-maximal concentrations of 2.2, 7.2, and 10.4 nM, respectively). Ionic substitution of Cl with nontransported anions, iodide and gluconate, reduced ET-1-induced changes in Isc. Furthermore, the response was inhibited by the NaCl cotransport inhibitor, furosemide. In paired tissues, ET-1 significantly increased mucosal net 36Cl flux without significant effect on 22Na flux. The increase in Isc induced by ET was diminished by pretreatment with indomethacin. The second messengers mediating the increase in Isc were investigated in cultured canine tracheal epithelial cells. ET-1 stimulated the release of [3H]arachidonate from membrane phospholipids, increased intracellular Ca2+ (occasionally producing oscillations), and increased adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate accumulation. The latter was diminished by indomethacin. Thus ET is a potent agonist of Cl secretion (with the isopeptides having the following potency: ET-1 greater than or equal to ET-2 greater than ET-3) and acts, in part, through a cyclooxygenase-dependent mechanism.


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