Study and characterization of ionic conductive polymers used as artificial muscles: proposals for performance improvement

• Grant number: 18/07001-6
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: October 01, 2018
• End date: September 30, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering - Nonmetallic Materials
• Principal Investigator: Carlos Henrique Scuracchio
• Grantee: Carlos Henrique Scuracchio
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Exatas e de Tecnologia (CCET). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

IPMCs (Ionomeric Polymer-Metal Composites) have attracted attention because of their ability to transform deformational energy into electrical energy and vice versa. This capability enables the material to be used both as a mechanical actuator ("artificial muscle") and in strain sensors. Among the advantages of this system over conventional actuators and sensors the main ones are its lightness, possibility of miniaturization and, in the case of artificial muscles, smooth movements similar to those performed by living organisms. These systems, among other characteristics, must be tolerant to failures in large deformations and for a large number of cycles, in order to guarantee their reliability in use. However, its extensive use in both robotic and sensing systems is still limited by some factors, such as:i) high sensitivity of the IPMC response to environmental conditions, mainly relative humidity, hindering the prediction of its behavior;ii) traditional manufacture with noble metal electrodes, which can suffer damages and fatigue during its performance, reducing the reliability of the component in high number of cycles, besides high cost and difficult to large scale production;iii) lack of physical and mathematical models that predict the behavior of these components under different conditions, both environmental and low and high deformations. Among the main factors that still lack a reasonable explanation is the phenomenon of reverse relaxation.The objective of this work is to better understand the operation of these devices, which, despite having simple construction, present a very complex behavior, proposing viable alternatives to minimize the problems listed above. Some possible solutions to the above problems are proposed, but others may still arise in the development of the project.Among the studies that must be performed, are the study of the influence of the cation type on the behavior of the IPMC. The use of ionic liquids, for example, has been presented as an interesting alternative to decrease the dependence of the behavior of the material to environmental conditions.Another proposed study is the choice of electrodes made with alternative materials, more tolerant to large deformations, such as conductive rubber.In order to improve the prediction of the behavior of the component, this project proposes a study of viscoelastic behavior, little explored in the literature. This study will have as main objective to verify the role of the viscoelastic behavior of the polymer in the phenomenon of reverse relaxation. (AU)

Scientific publications

(8)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

SACCARDO, MATHEUS COLOVATI; ZUQUELLO, ARIEL GUSTAVO; GONCALVES, ROGER; TOZZI, KAIQUE AFONSO; BARBOSA, RAFAEL; HIRANO, LAOS ALEXANDRE; SCURACCHIO, CARLOS HENRIQUE. Electromechanical Evaluation of Ionomeric Polymer-Metal Composites Using Video Analysis. MATERIALS RESEARCH-IBERO-AMERICAN JOURNAL OF MATERIALS, v. 24, n. 2, 2021. (18/10843-9, 18/09761-8, 20/02696-6, 18/07001-6)

SACCARDO, MATHEUS COLOVATI; ZUQUELLO, ARIEL GUSTAVO; TOZZI, KAIQUE AFONSO; GONCALVES, ROGER; HIRANO, LAOS ALEXANDRE; SCURACCHIO, CARLOS HENRIQUE. Counter-ion and humidity effects on electromechanical properties of Nafion (R)/Pt composites. Materials Chemistry and Physics, v. 244, APR 1 2020. (18/10843-9, 18/09761-8, 18/07001-6)

TOZZI, K. A.; GONCALVES, R.; BARBOSA, R.; SACCARDO, M. C.; ZUQUELLO, A.; SGRECCIA, E.; NARDUCCI, R.; SCURACCHIO, C. H.; DI VONA, M. L.. Improving electrochemical stability and electromechanical efficiency of ipmcs: tuning ionic liquid concentration. Journal of Applied Electrochemistry, v. 53, n. 2, p. 15-pg., 2022-10-12. (18/09761-8, 18/07001-6, 20/02696-6, 18/10843-9)

ZUQUELLO, ARIEL GUSTAVO; SACCARDO, MATHEUS COLOVATI; GONCALVES, ROGER; TOZZI, KAIQUE AFONSO; BARBOSA, RAFAEL; HIRANO, LAOS ALEXANDRE; SCURACCHIO, CARLOS HENRIQUE. PI Controller for IPMC Actuators Based on Nafion (R)/PT Using Machine Vision for Feedback at Different Relative Humidities. MATERIALS RESEARCH-IBERO-AMERICAN JOURNAL OF MATERIALS, v. 25, p. 12-pg., 2022-01-01. (18/09761-8, 20/02696-6, 18/07001-6, 18/10843-9)

BARBOSA, RAFAEL; GONCALVES, ROGER; BLANCO, GUILHERME EDUARDO DE OLIVEIRA; SACCARDO, MATHEUS COLOVATI; TOZZI, KAIQUE AFONSO; ZUQUELLO, ARIEL GUSTAVO; SCURACCHIO, CARLOS HENRIQUE. Multi-sensing properties of hybrid filled natural rubber nanocomposites using impedance spectroscopy. Electrochimica Acta, v. 435, p. 11-pg., 2022-10-22. (18/09761-8, 18/07001-6, 20/10588-9, 20/02696-6, 20/10839-1)

ARIEL GUSTAVO ZUQUELLO; MATHEUS COLOVATI SACCARDO; ROGER GONÇALVES; KAIQUE AFONSO TOZZI; RAFAEL BARBOSA; LAOS ALEXANDRE HIRANO; CARLOS HENRIQUE SCURACCHIO. PI Controller for IPMC Actuators Based on Nafion®/PT Using Machine Vision for Feedback Response at Different Relative Humidities. MATERIALS RESEARCH-IBERO-AMERICAN JOURNAL OF MATERIALS, v. 25, 2022-09-12. (20/02696-6, 18/09761-8, 18/10843-9, 18/07001-6)

BARBOSA, RAFAEL; GONCALVES, ROGER; TOZZI, KAIQUE AFONSO; SACCARDO, MATHEUS COLOVATI; ZUQUELLO, ARIEL GUSTAVO; SCURACCHIO, CARLOS HENRIQUE. Improving the swelling, mechanical, and electrical properties in natural rubber latex/carbon nanotubes nanocomposites: Effect of the sonication method. Journal of Applied Polymer Science, v. 139, n. 23, p. 13-pg., 2022-03-10. (18/07001-6, 20/02696-6, 20/10839-1, 18/09761-8, 20/10588-9)

CRISTIANO PORPORATTI ZIMMERMANN; GABRIELA MADELLA KRANZ; JOÃO PAULO ECKERT; LUCAS FADANI; MICHELI ZANETTI; JOSIANE MARIA MUNERON DE MELLO; PAULO ROBERTO INNOCENTE; GUSTAVO LOPES COLPANI; MÁRCIO ANTÔNIO FIORI; CARLOS HENRIQUE SCURACCHIO. Ionic Polymer-Metal Composite Coated with Polyaniline Film by Electrodeposition: A Promising IPMC/PANI Junction for Applications in Robotics and Bioengineering. MATERIALS RESEARCH-IBERO-AMERICAN JOURNAL OF MATERIALS, v. 26, 2023-05-29. (18/07001-6)