Full Stride by Victoria Tepe & Charles M. Peterson

Author:Victoria Tepe & Charles M. Peterson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Springer New York, New York, NY

Electrochemically Controllable Polyacrylonitrile Artificial Muscle

Artificial muscles made from PAN provide greater mechanical strength than do those made from polyelectrolyte gels. The electrochemical contraction and expansion of PAN artificial muscles [12–18] offer great potential for applications to lower extremity prosthetic devices and systems. Electrical activation of contractile ionic polymeric fibers dates back to the works of Hamlen, Kent, and Shafer [19]. In recent years, other investigators have advanced development of electrochemomechanical conductive muscle fibers [20–24].

The idea of using a graphite or gold fiber electrode was motivated by the fact that these materials could produce necessary ions for contraction and elongation, respectively. Another advantage is their chemical/mechanical endurance in chemical environments during activation and contraction/elongation processes. Figure 7.6 depicts how the graphite fiber is wrapped around a PAN fiber for electrochemical activation as shown in Fig. 7.7.

Fig. 7.6Each fiber has a diameter of 6.4 μm and the configuration of the intermingled graphite fibers and PAN muscle fibers

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