Piezoelectric Polymers

Abstract

The study of piezoelectric polymers has advanced, and their practical application to actuator devices has progressed. In particular, the feasibility of achieving a new soft actuator using poly-l-lactic acid (PLLA) films exhibiting shear piezoelectricity, one type of lead-free bio-based piezoelectric polymer, has been investigated. The realization of an actuator made from PLLA films was previously considered to be impractical because of the small piezoelectric constant of the films. However, the newly developed PLLA multilayer film enables the realization of an actuator with a large power while retaining its softness, flexibility, and light weight. In this section, the newly developed PLLA multilayer film is shown to have potentially limitless possibilities for realizing new types of actuator.