Ionic Polymer Transducers (IPTs) have both actuation and sensing capabilities. However, the electromechanical response of an IPT as a sensor is quite different from the response as an actuator. IPT sensors are not limited to bending, i.e., they also produce current for compressive, extensional, and shear deformations. A robust physical model must be able to predict the existence of a sensing signal in all modes of deformation. Such a model could subsequently be adapted to form a roadmap toward enhancing sensitivity. In this study, the objective is to experimentally define IPT sensing characteristics in shear deformation (non-bending) and compare the empirical results with predictions derived from a model based on the streaming potential hypothesis. An in-house displacement control rig is employed to establish empirical results in shear sensing. A finite element approach is employed in the companion model development. The IPTs considered employ Nafion as the ionic polymer layer, while the electrode includes high surface area ruthenium oxide, RuO2, metallic powder and deposited per the Direct Assembly Process.

Date Published: 6 April 2012
PDF: 13 pages
Proc. SPIE 8345, Sensors and Smart Structures Technologies for Civil, Mechanical, and Aerospace Systems 2012, 83454X (6 April 2012); doi: 10.1117/12.915345

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 8345:
Sensors and Smart Structures Technologies for Civil, Mechanical, and Aerospace Systems 2012
Masayoshi Tomizuka; Chung-Bang Yun; Jerome P. Lynch, Editor(s)