| Summary: | Since the demonstration of Bucky Gel Actuator (BGA) in 2005, a great deal of effort has been exerted to develop novel applications for electro-active morphing materials. Three-layered bimorph nanocomposite has become an excellent candidate for morphing applications since it can be easily fabricated, operated in air, and driven with few volts.
There has been limited published study on the mechanical properties of BGA. In this study, the effect of three parameters: layer thickness, carbon nanotube type, and weight fraction of components, on the mechanical properties was investigated. Samples were characterized via nano-indentation and DMA. It was found that BGA composed of 22 wt% single-walled carbon nanotubes and 45 wt% ionic liquid exhibited the highest hardness, adhesion, elastic and storage moduli.
Most of BGA potential applications would require control over one BGA output: displacement. In this study, various sets of experiments were designed to investigate the effect of several parameters on the maximum lateral displacement of BGA. Two input parameters: voltage and frequency, and three material/design parameters: carbon nanotube type, thickness, and weight fraction of constituents, were selected. A new thickness ratio term was also introduced to study the role of individual layers on BGA displacement. In addition, an important factor in the design of BGA-based devices, lifetime, was investigated. Finally, possible degradation of BGA was studied by repeating displacement measurements after several weeks of being stored.
Based on displacement studies, a new model was established utilizing nonlinear regression to predict BGA maximum displacement based on the effect of these parameters. This model was verified by comparing its predictions with other reported results in the literature. The model displayed a very good fit with various reported cases of BGA samples made with different types of CNT and ionic liquid.
Microfluidics is a promising field of application for BGA. A brief literature review on the electroactive mechanisms used in microfluidics is presented. Preliminary force studies proved that BGA has the capability to be employed as a microvalve. A flow regulator utilizing a BGA microvalve was designed and fabricated. Flow rate measurements showed the capability of BGA-valve in manipulating the flow rate in different ranges.
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