ABSTRACT
In conducting polymers, ion transport occurs during the (electro-)chemical oxidation and reduction of the polymer. This redox change results in a change of material properties such as conductivity [1], electrochromism [2], and wettability [3, 4]. The ion transport during this redox switching has also been used in drug release applications [5-7]. This reversible intercalation motion of the ions also results in a volume change of conducting polymers. These materials were proposed as actuator materials by Baughman et al. for their large strains and low operating potentials [8]. The first such conducting polymer-based actuator was demonstrated in the early 1990s by Pei
8.1 Introduction .................................................................................................. 141 8.2 Actuation in Conjugated Polymers ............................................................... 142 8.3 Materials and Fabrication ............................................................................. 143 8.4 Activation and Control .................................................................................. 145 8.5 Macro Devices .............................................................................................. 146 8.5 Microactuators .............................................................................................. 146 8.6 Microfabrication ........................................................................................... 147 8.7 Microsystem Devices .................................................................................... 148
8.7.1 Hinges ............................................................................................... 148 8.7.2 Microrobot ........................................................................................ 149 8.7.3 Cell Clinic ......................................................................................... 149 8.7.4 Microvalves ....................................................................................... 150 8.7.5 Other Bulk Expansion Devices ......................................................... 153
8.8 Medical Applications .................................................................................... 153 8.9 Conclusion .................................................................................................... 156 8.10 Acknowledgments ......................................................................................... 157 References .............................................................................................................. 157
and Inganäs [9]. The phenomenon was thereafter demonstrated by other laboratories [10-14] and the new field of conjugated polymer actuators emerged.* Initial research was focused on understanding the physical principles behind the electrochemically induced actuation and exploring the limitations.
