Theory and application of electrically controlled polymeric gels

Abstract

Presents several applications of ionizable polymeric gels that are capable of undergoing substantial expansions and contractions when subjected to changing pH environments, temperature, electric field or solvent. Conceptual designs for smart, electrically activated devices exploiting this phenomenon are discussed. These devices have the possibility of being manipulated via active computer control as large-displacement actuators for use in adaptive structures. The technology enabling these novel devices is the use of compliant containers for the gels and their solvents, removing the difficulties associated with maintaining a bath for the gels. Though most of these devices are designed using properties discussed in the literature, some presented near the end of this paper make use of conclusions that the authors have drawn from the literature and their own experimental work. Those conclusions about the basic mechanisms of electromechanical gels are discussed in the third part of this paper and a complete set of governing equations describing these mechanisms is presented in the fourth section. This paper concludes with a discussion of some of the ramifications of the above system of equations and a discussion on gel-driven devices and the control of such devices.