Electroactive polymer actator

Abstract

The invention provides an electroactive polymer actuator comprising a capacitance compensation means adapted to at least partially offset any changes in the capacitance across the member induced by its deformation. In this way, the electronic control of the device is rendered much simpler, since a varying capacitance across the actuator member does not have to be accounted for when driving the actuator to perform a particular deformation.

Claims

1. An actuator member comprising: an electroactive polymer material, wherein the electroactive polymer material is arranged to deform in dependence upon a magnitude of an applied electric field, wherein the actuator member has a capacitance and a capacitance compensating material, wherein the capacitance compensating material is arranged to at least partially offset changes in the capacitance, and wherein the changes in the capacitance are caused by deformation of the actuator member.

2. The actuator member as claimed in claim 1, wherein the capacitance compensating material is arranged to at least partially offset the changes in the capacitance by reducing a relative permittivity of at least a portion of the actuator member.

3. The actuator member as claimed in claim 2, wherein the capacitance compensating material is arranged to induce a decrease in the relative permittivity of the at least a portion of the actuator member in dependence upon at least one of: an increasing magnitude of an applied electric field, an increase in an impressed electric charge, and a mechanical deformation of the actuator member.

4. The actuator member as claimed in claim 1, wherein the capacitance compensating material independently exhibits a decrease in capacitance across it in response to at least one of: an increasing magnitude of an applied electric field, an increase in an impressed electric charge, and a mechanical deformation of the actuator member.

5. The actuator member as claimed in claim 4, wherein the capacitance compensating material exhibits a decrease in an effective relative permittivity to effect the decrease in the capacitance.

6. The actuator member as claimed in claim 4, wherein the capacitance compensating material comprises a plurality of particles formed of the capacitance compensating material, and wherein the plurality of particles are embedded within the electroactive polymer material.

7. The actuator member as claimed in claim 4, wherein the capacitance compensating material comprises a coating covering at least a portion of the electroactive polymer material.

8. The actuator member as claimed in claim 4, wherein the actuator member comprises at least a first layer of the electroactive polymer material, and at least a second layer comprising the capacitance compensating material.

9. The actuator member as claimed in claim 1, wherein the capacitance compensating material comprises a material which forms a mixture or composite with the electroactive polymer material, and wherein the mixture or composite exhibits a decrease in a capacitance across it in response to at least one of: an increasing magnitude of an applied electric field, an increase in an impressed electric charge, and a mechanical deformation of the actuator member.

10. The actuator member as claimed in claim 9, wherein the actuator member comprises one or more layers of the mixture or composite.

11. The actuator member as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a permittivity biasing material, wherein the permittivity biasing material is arranged to permanently alter a relative permittivity of at least a portion of the actuator member.

12. The actuator member as claimed in claim 1, comprising at least a first layer and a second layer, wherein each of the at least first layer and the second layer is arranged to exhibit a capacitance which decreases in response to at least one of: an increasing magnitude of an applied electric field, an increase in an impressed electric charge, and a mechanical deformation of the actuator member, and wherein each of the at least first layer and the second layer is arranged to exhibit the decreasing capacitance only across a different particular range of: electric field strengths, impressed electric charge values, or mechanical deformations.

13. The actuator member as claimed in claim 12, wherein one or more of the at least first layer and the second layer comprises a permittivity biasing material, and wherein the permittivity biasing material is arranged to permanently alter a relative permittivity of at least a portion of the actuator member.

14. The actuator member as claimed in claim 1, comprising at least a first layer and a second layer, wherein each of the at least first layer and the second layer is arranged to exhibit a capacitance which decreases in response to a different one of following: an increasing magnitude of an applied electric field, an increase in an impressed electric charge, and a mechanical deformation of the actuator member.

15. The actuator member as claimed in claim 1, comprising at least a first layer and a second layer, wherein each of the at least first layer and the second layer is arranged to exhibit a capacitance which decreases in response to at least one of: an increasing magnitude of an applied electric field, an increase in an impressed electric charge, and a mechanical deformation of the actuator member, and wherein each of the at least first layer and the second layer is arranged to exhibit the decreasing capacitance only across a different particular range of frequencies of an applied electric field.

16. The actuator member as claimed in claim 9, wherein the capacitance compensating material exhibits a decrease in an effective relative permittivity to effect the decrease in capacitance.

17. The actuator member as claimed in claim 9, wherein the actuator member comprises one or more layers of electroactive polymer material.

18. The actuator member as claimed in claim 1, comprising at least a first layer and a second layer, wherein each of the at least first layer and the second layer is arranged to exhibit an effective relative permittivity which decreases in response to at least one of: an increasing magnitude of an applied electric field, an increase in an impressed electric charge, and a mechanical deformation of the actuator member, and wherein each of the at least first layer and the second layer is arranged to exhibit the decreasing capacitance only across a different particular range of: electric field strengths, impressed electric charge values, or mechanical deformations.

19. The actuator member as claimed in claim 1, comprising at least a first layer and a second layer, wherein each of the at least first layer and the second layer is arranged to exhibit an effective relative permittivity which decreases in response to a different one of following: an increasing magnitude of an applied electric field, an increase in an impressed electric charge, and a mechanical deformation of the actuator member.

20. The actuator member as claimed in claim 1, comprising at least a first layer and a second layer, wherein each of the at least first layer and the second layer is arranged to exhibit an effective relative permittivity which decreases in response to at least one of: an increasing magnitude of an applied electric field, an increase in an impressed electric charge, and a mechanical deformation of the actuator member, and wherein each of the first layer and the second layer is arranged to exhibit the effective relative permittivity only across a different particular range of frequencies of an applied electric field.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Examples of the invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a known electroactive polymer device which is not clamped;

(3) FIG. 2 shows a known electroactive polymer device which is constrained by a backing layer;

(4) FIG. 3 shows the relationship between capacitance exhibited across an electroactive polymer and applied voltage;

(5) FIG. 4 shows the deflection of an example electroactive polymer as a function of time for two different applied voltages;

(6) FIG. 5 shows the relationship between relative permittivity and magnitude of applied electric field for an example capacitance compensating material;

(7) FIG. 6 shows the relationship between relative permittivity and magnitude of applied electric field for a second example capacitance compensating material;

(8) FIG. 7 shows an example actuator member comprising embedded particles of capacitance compensating material;

(9) FIG. 8 shows an example actuator member comprising a layer of capacitance compensating material and a layer of electroactive polymer;

(10) FIG. 9 shows an example actuator member comprising a single layer of an example capacitance compensating composite or mixture;

(11) FIG. 10 shows an example actuator member comprising a layer example capacitance compensating composite or mixture and a layer of electroactive polymer; and

(12) FIG. 11 shows relative permittivity versus applied electric field trend lines for two example capacitance compensating layers.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

(13) The invention provides an electroactive polymer actuator comprising a capacitance compensation means adapted to at least partially offset any changes in the capacitance across the member induced by its deformation. In this way, the electronic control of the device is rendered much simpler, since a varying capacitance across the actuator member does not have to be accounted for when driving the actuator to perform a particular deformation.

(14) According to at least one envisaged set of embodiments, the capacitance compensation is achieved by means of manipulation or alteration of effective (or average) relative permittivity constant (or dielectric constant) ε.sub.r of the actuator member. In particular, according to one set of embodiments, there is provided a self-compensating EAP actuator which is distinguished from the state of the art EAP actuators in being adapted to reduce or eliminate variation of the overall effective relative permittivity ε.sub.r of the actuator structure as a function of one or more of the following: a) The applied electrical voltage, b) the impressed electric charge on charged plates or surfaces of the member, and c) the mechanical deformation of the actuator member.

(15) Reducing the variation in overall or average ε.sub.r of the actuator member is achieved in at least one set of examples through incorporation of materials independently exhibiting an intrinsic permittivity value ε.sub.r which decreases as a function of one or more of a), b) and c) above. These materials naturally exhibit a capacitance which decreases as a function of these variables, and hence can be used to compensate for, and at least partially offset, the increase in capacitance otherwise exhibited by the deforming electroactive polymer.

(16) Materials which exhibit a decrease in capacitance with increasing applied voltage or magnitude of applied electric field, at the typical frequency range at which an EAP polymer is operated (in the kHz), are however unusual. In a static case, all materials tend to increase their capacitance as voltage (or charge state) increases (due to the second law of thermodynamics).

(17) However, there do exist certain classes of materials which, due to dynamic factors such as delays in re-ordering of molecular dipoles or slow rotation of liquid crystals, can exhibit a decrease of dynamic capacitance at certain frequency ranges.

(18) In the field in particular of (multilayer) ceramic capacitors, the effect of non-linear dielectricity has been explored (see for example: Somiya, S. (2013). Handbook of Advanced Ceramics: Materials, Applications, Processing, and Properties. In Nonlinear Dielectricity of MLCCs (p. 415). Waltham: Academic Press).

(19) One example of a material which is known to exhibit strong dielectric non-linearity is Barium-Zirconium-Titanium (BZT). The relationship between the relative permittivity of BZT and amplitude of an applied AC electric field is shown in FIG. 5, where (dimensionless) relative permittivity is represented on the y-axis and the amplitude of applied AC field (in kV/mm) is represented on the x-axis. The AC field was applied having a frequency of 10 kHz.

(20) It can be seen from the graph that the relative permittivity ε.sub.r of BZT initially increases at lower field strengths, reaching a peak of approximately 11750 at a field strength of approximately 0.28 kV/mm. Beyond approximately 0.3 kV/mm, the relative permittivity exhibits a clear decline in value as a function of increasing electric field strength.

(21) Incorporating this material (or a similarly behaving material, as known in the field of ceramics for instance) into the structure or active layers of an EAP actuator member would have an impact on the effective (average) relative permittivity constant of the actuator member as a whole (at least for higher field strengths, and higher AC frequencies).

(22) In addition to this, further examples of suitable materials for altering the effective (average) relative permittivity may be revealed by consideration of higher order terms in the Langevin function for orientational polarisation of dielectric materials (discussed in Raju, G. G. (2003). Dielectrics in Electric Fields. New York: CRC Press). The function describes the following relationship between average dipole moment in the direction of an applied electric field, μ.sub.0, and the permanent moment of a single dipole μ:

(23) $\begin{array}{cc}\frac{{\mu }_0}{\mu }=\coth x-\frac{1}{x}& \left(2\right)\end{array}$
where x=μE/kT (E=electric field strength, k=Boltzmann constant, and T=temperature). The expression on the right hand is recognisable as the well-known Langevin function.

(24) The higher order terms of this formula become relevant only at high electric field strengths (in the order of MV/m or greater), and hence are especially relevant in the case of dielectric EAPs which are typically stimulated at field strengths >10 W/μm. However, they also have potential applicability for other varieties of EAP: the behaviour holds for any suitable material stimulated at sufficiently high electric field strengths.

(25) Consideration of these higher order terms of the Langevin formula shows that the relative permittivity decreases at high field strengths. The change in relative permittivity Δε.sub.r may be expressed as:

(26) $\begin{array}{cc}{\mathrm{\Delta .Math.}}_r=-\frac{E^2{N}_A{\mu }^{4}C}{45V{{\mathrm{.Math.}}_0\left(\mathrm{kT}\right)}^3}& \left(3\right)\end{array}$
where E is electric field strength, N.sub.A is the Avogadro constant, μ is magnetic permeability, C is a constant, V is the molar volume, Co is the vacuum permittivity, k is the Boltzmann constant, and T is temperature.

(27) Examples of suitable materials for taking advantage of this effect include Barium Strontium Titanate (BST) materials, which are commonly used for tuneable capacitors. FIG. 6 shows a graph illustrating the (dimensionless) relative permittivity of a sample of BST (y-axis) as a function of applied DC electric field strength (x-axis; units of kV/cm).

(28) It can be seen from the graph that the relative permittivity of BST decreases almost linearly with increasing electric field strength, reducing from a maximum value (for this sample) of approximately 2600 at zero applied field, to a value of around 1750 at an applied field strength of approximately 11 kV/cm. The same relationship is also observed for equivalent electric fields applied in an opposite direction.

(29) The example relative permittivity-decreasing materials discussed above may be incorporated into an actuator structure in a number of ways to achieve the desired effect of providing capacitance compensation as a function of increasing applied electric field strength.

(30) FIG. 7 shows a first example actuator member in accordance with one or more embodiments of the invention. The structure comprises a layer of electroactive polymer (EAP) material 14 surrounded by a first 10 and second 12 electrode for establishing an electric field across the EAP layer. Embedded within the EAP layer are a plurality of randomly distributed loosely embedded particles 34 of a capacitance compensating material in accordance with one or more of the examples described above, or any other suitable material having the property of exhibiting decreasing relative permittivity with increasing electric field strength (or impressed electric charge, or extent of mechanical deformation).

(31) The particles 34 may be distributed substantially evenly throughout the EAP layer 14. Since the relative permittivity of these particles has the property of decreasing as a function of increasing electric field strength, they have the effect of lowering the overall effective (average) relative permittivity of the entire layer 14. By carefully selecting a suitable material which exhibits a relative permittivity which declines at a rate substantially matching the intrinsic rate of increase in capacitance of the actuator member as a function of applied electric field, it is possible to provide an actuator which exhibits a substantially constant capacitance between the electrodes 10, 12, as a function of electric field strength. This follows from equation (1) which shows that capacitance is linearly dependent upon relative permittivity.

(32) A material may either be selected having the required rate of change of relative permittivity, or a material (generally of the classes discussed above) may be specially fabricated or synthesised to have the required precise rate of change.

(33) FIG. 8 shows a second example actuator member in accordance with one or more embodiments. The structure comprises a first 10 and second 12 electrode, between which are disposed a first layer of electroactive polymer (EAP) material 14 and a second layer 38 of capacitance compensation material in accordance with examples discussed above, or other example materials exhibiting a similar dependency of relative permittivity upon applied electric field (or impressed electric charge, or extent of mechanical deformation).

(34) As in the example of FIG. 7, the compensating material layer has the effect of lowering the overall effective (average) relative permittivity of the actuator member structure as electric field strength increases.

(35) In the example shown, the EAP layer 14 and compensating material layer 38 are directly coupled to one another. However, in alternative examples, these layers may be separated by a suitable interface layer, such as a dielectric layer.

(36) Although only a single EAP layer 14 and a single compensating material layer 38 are provided in the example actuator of FIG. 8, in further examples, a plurality of each type of layer may be provided. These may be alternately arranged for instance, in order to achieve maximal blending of the relative permittivities of the two layer types.

(37) Alternatively or additionally to the above, according to further examples, there may be provided an actuator member comprising at least one EAP layer having a coating formed of a suitable capacitance compensating material. The coating may coat only top and bottom surfaces of the EAP layer, or may coat all external surfaces (including side surfaces) of the layer. The coating layer has a similar effect as the parallel layer 38 in the example of FIG. 8 of changing the relative permittivity of the entire actuator structure as a function of applied electric field strength (or impressed electric charge, or extent of mechanical deformation).

(38) Although in the descriptions and explanations above, materials have been described which exhibit a relative permittivity which varies with applied electric field strength, it is to be understood that these materials may also be understood to vary with other variables. In the case of an EAP actuator, the extent of deformation of the actuator member naturally increases as a function applied electric field strength. Hence the above materials may also be understood to vary as a function of the extent of mechanical deformation of the actuator member. Additionally, since, by Coulomb's law, the electric field strength increases linearly with total quantity of impressed electric charge, then these materials may also be understood to vary with quantity of impressed electric charge on electrodes 10, 12.

(39) Other materials may also be considered having the property of varying in either exhibited capacitance or relative permittivity directly in relation to one or both of the extent of mechanical deformation and impressed electrical charge.

(40) According to a further set of embodiments, there is provided an actuator member being formed of one or more layers of an EAP composite or mixture, the composite or mixture being adapted so as to exhibit a relative permittivity (or capacitance) which decreases as a function of one or more of: applied electric field strength, impressed electric charge on actuator electrodes, and extent of mechanical deformation.

(41) This may, according to examples be achieved by means of mixing an electroactive polymer material with one or more of the capacitance compensating materials discussed above. The resultant mixture may exhibit the electroactive responsive properties of the EAP material while also exhibiting a relative permittivity which decreases as a function of one of: applied electric field strength, impressed electric charge, and extent of mechanical deformation.

(42) The ratio of EAP material to compensating material must be carefully selected so as not to dilute the concentration of electroactive polymer to such an extent that the electroactive properties cease to have effect.

(43) According to further examples, an EAP composite may be provided exhibiting the electroactive properties of an EAP in combination with a field, charge or deformation dependent relative permittivity.

(44) A number of possible configurations exist for an actuator member comprising a capacitance compensating EAP mixture or composite material of the kind described above.

(45) In FIG. 9 is shown a first example of an actuator member incorporating an example EAP composite, in accordance with the descriptions provided above. The structure comprises a single layer 42 of EAP composite material disposed between a first 10 and second 12 surrounding electrode. The single layer exhibits standard electroactive polymer behaviour, in the sense of deforming in response to an electric field established between first 10 and second 12 electrodes. However, due to the composition of the composite, it is adapted to exhibit an effective relative permittivity (dielectric constant) which decreases as a function of applied electric field at a specially attuned rate.

(46) As an electric field is applied and the actuator begins to deform, so the intrinsic capacitance of the layer begins to increase, by virtue of the layer 42 being compressed to a smaller thickness. However, the relative permittivity of the composite material of the layer 42 is attuned to decrease with the applied electric field at a rate which substantially matches the capacitance increase caused by deformation. In this way, the capacitance change may be partially or fully offset or compensated.

(47) Although the example of FIG. 9 shows a single layer of EAP composite material, in further examples a plurality of layers may be provided.

(48) FIG. 10 shows a second example actuator incorporating an EAP composite material in accordance with the examples and descriptions outlined above. The structure comprises a first layer 14 of standard (non-modified) electroactive polymer, and a second layer 42 of EAP composite material stacked adjacent to the first. The two stacked layers are disposed between a first 10 and second 12 electrode for establishing an electric field across the layers.

(49) Upon application of an electric field between the electrodes 10, 12, both the standard EAP layer 14 and the EAP composite layer 42 deform in response, and the capacitance across each layer correspondingly increases. As in the example of FIG. 9, the EAP composite is adapted to exhibit a relative permittivity which decreases at an appropriate rate with increasing electric field strength to partially or fully offset or compensate for the increased capacitance.

(50) Although the example of FIG. 10 comprises a single layer of EAP material and a single layer of EAP composite material, in further examples, a plurality of one or both of these layers may alternatively be provided. These may be alternately arranged, in order to provide optimal blending or mixing of the respective relative permittivities of the layers.

(51) As discussed above, certain example materials suitable for providing the capacitance compensating effect, may exhibit the desired field-dependent relative permittivity only across a relatively restricted range of applied electric field strengths. In certain cases, this range of field strengths may not match the typical field strengths at which the EAP material is operated and for which it is responsive.

(52) To address this, in accordance with any of the above described embodiments, the actuator member may be further adapted to comprise a permittivity biasing material adapted to permanently alter the relative permittivity of at least a portion of the actuator member. As discussed in the preceding section, such a material may be adapted to effect a fixed or static bias in the effective (average) base-line relative permittivity of the actuator member.

(53) This may have the effect of altering the range of applied field strengths over which the electroactive polymer element of the actuator is responsive. If a biasing material is used which increases the base-line relative permittivity, then this may have the effect of rendering the actuator member responsive across a lower range of field strengths. This is because the resulting displacement field exhibited across the actuator member, for a given applied field strength, will increase in magnitude.

(54) A permittivity biasing material may be used in combination with the compensating material and/or compensating mixture/composite to achieve an actuator member which is responsive across exactly the range of frequencies for which the compensating material exhibits the required field/charge/deformation-dependent permittivity.

(55) The biasing material may form a mixture or composite with one or both of the electroactive polymer material and the compensating material/mixture/composite.

(56) Various means exist for providing a suitable biasing material, a range of which will now be discussed in detail.

(57) Methods are known in the art for altering the dielectric constant of dielectric elastomers (one class of electroactive polymer). In Carpi, F., & et. al. (2011). Dielectric Elastomers as Electromechanical Transducers: Fundamentals, Materials, Devices, Models and Applications of an Emerging Electroactive Polymer Technology. Oxford: Elsevier for instance, there are disclosed several methods for increasing the dielectric constant (relative permittivity) of dielectric elastomers. These methods may be classified according to three main groups: random composites, field-structured composites and new synthetic polymers.

(58) The first approach is based upon dispersion into the polymer matrix of a filler, either solid (e.g. powder) or liquid. The second method also exploits a composite approach, although the material in this case is also cured in the presence of an external electric field, thereby aligning dipoles. The third strategy is based on the synthesis of new materials with tailored characteristics.

(59) In Table 1 below is presented a brief outline of the three groups of methods along with a selection of example materials associated with each one.

(60) TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 A list of methods to modify the relative permittivity of EAP materials, in terms of physical process used, and adopted materials. Matrix Non- Process Filler (where applicable) Elastomers elastomers Random Mixing with Ferroelectric/ PMN-PT Silicone — Composites organic and piezoelectric ceramics (~5600) Silicone — inorganic fillers TiO.sub.2 (86-173) Silicone PA (particles) BaTiO.sub.3 (1-10k) Conductive particles Fe Silicone UP Epoxy resin Cu Epoxy resin Cu-coated — phospholipids CB PE CNT Epoxy resin Organic monomers CuPc Silicone P(VDF-TrFE) Organic polymers PolyCuPc PU EVA PANI (11) PU P(VDF-TrFE- CFE) Field- Cross-linking in Ferroelectric/piezoelectric SiO.sub.2 (3.8) Silicone — structured electric field of ceramics BaTiO.sub.3, Silicone Epoxy resin composites elastomers with PbTiO.sub.3 (~1200) inorganic fillers (particles) Synthesis of Functionalization — S-SBS P(VDF-TrFE- new CFE) polymers Copolymerization — FLCE — (grafting and/or NBR cross-linking) Polymer blending — Silicone/PU — Silicone/PHT The numbers provided are relative electrical permeability of materials. These can be found on the internetwikipeda or standard chemical and physical handbooks. PMN-PT: lead magnesium niobate-lead titanate; CB: Carbon black; CNT: Carbon nano tube; CuPc: CopperPhthalocyanine; PANI: Polyaniline; Silicone: polysiloxanes of the rubber type; PU: Polyurethane; PA: Polyacrylate; PE: polyethylene; EVA: ethylene vinyl acetate; S-SBS: styrene-butadiene-styrene; FLCE: Ferroelectric liquid crystal elastomer; NBR: Nitrile rubber also known as Buna N rubbers: PHT: Polyhexahydrotriazines: Epoxy resin: polyepoxides.

(61) The table shows a sample of state of the art technologies and processes for modifying the relative permittivity of electroactive polymer materials. These include combining an EAP material with a suitable (high relative permittivity) filler material having the effect of increasing the baseline relative permittivity of the EAP material. A composite or mixture hence results, exhibiting the electroactive responsive properties of the EAP material but having an increased base-line relative permittivity. This mixture/composite may render the EAP material responsive to a lower range of applied electric field strengths.

(62) To achieve the desired overall effect, it is necessary to carefully balance the quantity of permittivity biasing material added to the polymer in order that the actuation behaviour is not destroyed or significantly diminished. As discussed for instance in Shakun, A. (2014). Soft Elastomeric Material with Improved Dielectric Permittivity. Thesis, 20, incorporation of high relative permittivity fillers, and also other methods of polymer modification, may lead to changes in the material properties which diminish the electrical responsiveness of the polymer. These include changes in elastic modulus (due, for instance, to the method or extent of crosslinking) and chain entanglement, as well as specific inter- and intra-molecular interactions.

(63) However, the amount of added biasing material must nonetheless be high enough to create the necessary alteration to the base-line relative permittivity.

(64) A particular desired increase (for example) in the relative permittivity may be achieved either by adding a relatively large quantity of biasing material having a low(er) dielectric constant, or by adding a relatively smaller quantity of biasing material having a higher dielectric constant. The latter case may generally be preferable, since the addition of a smaller quantity of material is less likely to destroy the electroactive properties of the overall actuator member.

(65) Further literature sources also discuss methods for increasing the relative permittivity of the material by incorporation of fillers with high dielectric constant, or by polymer modification (see for example Shakun, A. (2014). Soft Elastomeric Material with Improved Dielectric Permittivity. Thesis, 20).

(66) As demonstrated, in relation to previously discussed embodiments, certain EAPs (dielectric elastomers in particular) may be modified by addition of compensating materials such that their relative permittivity dynamically decreases in correspondence with certain variables or boundary conditions, in particular the electric field strength.

(67) Also, as demonstrated in the preceding paragraphs, there are known from the cited literature certain methods wherein dedicated materials may be added to dielectric elastomer actuators to statically tune their relative permittivity to adopt a different value.

(68) Thus in accordance with the presently described embodiments, it is proposed to modify the electroactive polymer material of the actuator member in such a way that, across a certain range applied electrical field strengths, the effective dielectric constant of the EAP actuator member exhibits a decrease as a function of field strength. The material is chosen such that the rate of this decrease exactly compensates any change in input capacity across the actuator caused by the reduction in thickness (and increase in lateral size) of the electro-active polymer as it is electrically activated. Additionally, permittivity biasing materials may be incorporated to statically shift the base-line relative permittivity such that the range of electric field strengths across which the compensating material exhibits the required decline precisely matches those strengths over which the EAP is standardly operated.

(69) According to certain examples, the actuator member design, in particular the layer thicknesses, may be adapted in order to ensure that the required field strengths are achieved across the actuator member at standard operation voltages.

(70) In accordance with any of the examples and embodiments described above, the provided actuator member may comprise at least two layers of material adapted to exhibit a relative permittivity which decreases with increasing electric field strength, impressed electric charge and/or extent of deformation, wherein each of the layers exhibits said decrease only across a particular range of applied electric field strengths, electric charge values, or mechanical deformations. The layers of material may be layers of compensating material, such as the example layer 38 of the example actuator of FIG. 8. Alternatively, the layers of material may be layers of EAP composite or mixture material, as in the example layer 42 of the actuators of FIGS. 9 and 10.

(71) Furthermore, each layer may comprise or include a biasing material in accordance with one or more of the examples described above, in order to achieve the desired range of activation field strengths/charge values/deformation extents. In particular examples, each layer may comprise a composite or mixture formed of an EAP material and a particular quantity or density of biasing material. To achieve different activation voltages for different layers, the particular density or quantity of the biasing material included in each layer may be varied. In this way each layer may be adapted to have a different particular bias to the base-line relative permittivity. This means that the EAP component(s) of each layer may become active at a different range of voltages.

(72) Furthermore, as explained above, by using more than one layer, capacitance compensation may be achieved across a broad range of different actuation states and electrical stimulation strengths, even where the particular material or composite used to provide compensation in each layer has only a limited range of applicability. Moreover, a multiple-layer structure such as this allows the logarithmic-like relation between capacitance and applied voltage (shown in FIG. 3) to be more easily, cheaply and simply compensated.

(73) Different materials or compensation means may be used for instance in each layer, each providing a particular level or magnitude of capacitance biasing or offset. By constructing the actuator structure having multiple layers of different biasing magnitudes which become successively activated as the actuator is deformed to a greater and greater extent, the specific pattern of required capacitance compensation may be readily achieved.

(74) According to at least some examples, the above embodiment may be achieved by providing layers formed of a material which is differently composed or adapted in each of the relevant layers, or may be achieved by providing multiple layers of the same material, but having different thicknesses. The different thickness of each layer may affect the particular electric field strength for instance at which the relative permittivity begins to exhibit the declining behaviour.

(75) In accordance with any of the above examples, there may be provided one or more mixed EAP layers comprising an EAP (or EAP composite) in combination with a quantity of permittivity biasing material, wherein the density of the biasing material varies in one or more directions across the layer. This may allow for different interesting modes of deformation, for example wedge, or even wavy shapes, to be produced as a function of applied electric field strength.

(76) According to any of the above embodiments, there may be provided two or more layers comprising capacitance compensation material, or EAP composite material, wherein the respective material of each layer is adapted to follow a different trend or pattern of declining relative permittivity to the other layer(s). This different trend or pattern may include different activation points and/or slopes, and/or may include different local minima or maxima for example.

(77) FIG. 11 illustrates this concept, wherein there are shown trend lines 50, 52 for two example compensating material layers, showing relative permittivity (y-axis) versus applied electric field strength (x-axis). The two layers each exhibit a different permittivity to field strength behaviour pattern and each have a different maximum point and different minimum point.

(78) In examples, a plurality of layers may be provided, having respective relative permittivity trends which, across a broad range of electric field values, together blend to provide a substantially even or uniform decline in relative permittivity across said range. In this way, a substantially uniform capacitance can be established across a wide range of applied field strengths, even where the permittivity curve of each layer individually is relatively narrow for example.

(79) Furthermore, in accordance with any of the above described embodiments, there may be provided a plurality of layers comprising capacitance-compensating material or EAP composite material, wherein the material of each layer is adapted to exhibit a relative permittivity which decreases with applied electric field strength only for a particular range of AC field frequencies. This provides flexibility in the operation frequency of the actuator member, since the same capacitance compensation effect may be achieved at different stimulation frequencies.

(80) In accordance with any of the above-described embodiments, the actuator member may further comprise an electrode arrangement comprising two or more pairs of electrodes, each pair arranged so as to sandwich a different section or region of the actuator member. Each pair may be operated separately (for example by means of a dedicated driver). One common ground/reference electrode may additionally be provided. In accordance with such an embodiment, the electric field strength across different portions or regions of the EAP may be varied, providing greater flexibility in terms of achievable deformation shapes and behaviours.

(81) In alternative examples, the dedicated drivers for each electrode pair may be replaced by a resistive and/or reactive network connecting the electrodes pairs. Due to the voltage drop across the network, a different (but fixed) voltage distribution may be generated between each pair, causing a variation in activation level at different regions of the actuator member. This would again result in greater flexibility in terms of the deformation shape and behaviour of the actuator member.

(82) A time-dependency between the different pairs (and the corresponding stimulated regions of the actuator member) could be achieved by adding a reactive element to the network (such as a small surface-mount (SMD) capacitor or inductor).

(83) According to further examples still, the resistive and/or reactive network described above may be adapted so as to provide a single common driver for the electrode pair, wherein the common output voltage is separated into different amplitudes via a network. Each branch may be connected to one of each of the electrode pairs. Such an arrangement may confer the advantage of allowing a user of the actuator to customise the structure of the network (since it is no longer integrated with the actuator itself).

(84) Materials suitable for the EAP layer are known. Electro-active polymers include, but are not limited to, the sub-classes: piezoelectric polymers, electromechanical polymers, relaxor ferroelectric polymers, electrostrictive polymers, dielectric elastomers, liquid crystal elastomers, conjugated polymers, Ionic Polymer Metal Composites, ionic gels and polymer gels.

(85) The sub-class electrostrictive polymers includes, but is not limited to:

(86) Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), Polyvinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene (PVDF-TrFE), Polyvinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene-chlorofluoroethylene (PVDF-TrFE-CFE), Polyvinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene-chlorotrifluoroethylene) (PVDF-TrFE-CTFE), Polyvinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene (PVDF-HFP), polyurethanes or blends thereof.

(87) The sub-class dielectric elastomers includes, but is not limited to:

(88) acrylates, polyurethanes, silicones.

(89) The sub-class conjugated polymers includes, but is not limited to:

(90) polypyrrole, poly-3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene, poly(p-phenylene sulfide), polyanilines.

(91) Ionic devices may be based on ionic polymer-metal composites (IPMCs) or conjugated polymers. An ionic polymer-metal composite (IPMC) is a synthetic composite nanomaterial that displays artificial muscle behavior under an applied voltage or electric field.

(92) In more detail, IPMCs are composed of an ionic polymer like Nafion or Flemion whose surfaces are chemically plated or physically coated with conductors such as platinum or gold, or carbon-based electrodes. Under an applied voltage, ion migration and redistribution due to the imposed voltage across a strip of IPMCs result in a bending deformation. The polymer is a solvent swollen ion-exchange polymer membrane. The field causes cations travel to cathode side together with water. This leads to reorganization of hydrophilic clusters and to polymer expansion. Strain in the cathode area leads to stress in rest of the polymer matrix resulting in bending towards the anode. Reversing the applied voltage inverts the bending.

(93) If the plated electrodes are arranged in a non-symmetric configuration, the imposed voltage can induce all kinds of deformations such as twisting, rolling, torsioning, turning, and non-symmetric bending deformation.

(94) In all of these examples, additional passive layers may be provided for influencing the electrical and/or mechanical behavior of the EAP layer in response to an applied electric field.

(95) The EAP layer of each unit may be sandwiched between electrodes. The electrodes may be stretchable so that they follow the deformation of the EAP material layer. Materials suitable for the electrodes are also known, and may for example be selected from the group consisting of thin metal films, such as gold, copper, or aluminum or organic conductors such as carbon black, carbon nanotubes, graphene, poly-aniline (PANI), poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT), e.g. poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS). Metalized polyester films may also be used, such as metalized polyethylene terephthalate (PET), for example using an aluminum coating.

(96) The invention can be applied in many EAP and photoactive polymer applications, including examples where a passive matrix array of actuators is of interest.

(97) In many applications the main function of the product relies on the (local) manipulation of human tissue, or the actuation of tissue contacting interfaces. In such applications EAP actuators for example provide unique benefits mainly because of the small form factor, the flexibility and the high energy density. Hence EAP's and photoresponsive polymers can be easily integrated in soft, 3D-shaped and/or miniature products and interfaces. Examples of such applications are:

(98) Skin cosmetic treatments such as skin actuation devices in the form of a responsive polymer based skin patches which apply a constant or cyclic stretch to the skin in order to tension the skin or to reduce wrinkles;

(99) Respiratory devices with a patient interface mask which has a responsive polymer based active cushion or seal, to provide an alternating normal pressure to the skin which reduces or prevents facial red marks;

(100) Electric shavers with an adaptive shaving head. The height of the skin contacting surfaces can be adjusted using responsive polymer actuators in order to influence the balance between closeness and irritation;

(101) Oral cleaning devices such as an air floss with a dynamic nozzle actuator to improve the reach of the spray, especially in the spaces between the teeth. Alternatively, toothbrushes may be provided with activated tufts;

(102) Consumer electronics devices or touch panels which provide local haptic feedback via an array of responsive polymer transducers which is integrated in or near the user interface;

(103) Catheters with a steerable tip to enable easy navigation in tortuous blood vessels;

(104) Measurements of physiological human body parameters such as heart beat, SpO2 and blood pressure.

(105) Another category of relevant application which benefits from such actuators relates to the modification of light. Optical elements such as lenses, reflective surfaces, gratings etc. can be made adaptive by shape or position adaptation using these actuators. Here one benefit of EAPs for example is a lower power consumption.

(106) Other variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed invention, from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word “comprising” does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article “a” or “an” does not exclude a plurality. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage. Any reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope.