Title:
NON-UNIFORM THICKNESS ELECTROACTIVE DEVICE
Document Type and Number:
WIPO Patent Application WO2001031715
Kind Code:
A8
Abstract:
An electroactive device (100) comprises at least two layers (112, 114) of material, wherein at least one layer is an electroactive material and wherein at least one layer is of non-uniform thickness. The device can be produced in various sizes, ranging from large structural actuators to microscale or nanoscale devices. The applied voltage to the device in combination with the non-uniform thickness of at least one of the layers (electroactive and/or non-electroactive) controls the contour of the actuated device. The effective electric field is a mathematical function of the local layer thickness. Therefore, the local strain and the local bending/torsion curvature are also a mathematical function of the local thickness. Hence the thinnest portion of the actuator offers the largest bending and/or torsion response. Tailoring of the layer thicknesses can enable complex motions to be achieved.
Inventors:
SU JI
HARRISON JOYCELYN
ST CLAIR TERRY
HARRISON JOYCELYN
ST CLAIR TERRY
Application Number:
PCT/US2000/029212
Publication Date:
November 08, 2001
Filing Date:
October 23, 2000
Export Citation:
Assignee:
NASA (US)
International Classes:
C08F255/10; C08F259/00; C08F259/08; C08F265/08; C08F273/00; C08F283/00; C08F283/12; H01L41/053; H01L41/09; H01L41/193; H01Q15/14; (IPC1-7): H01L41/09
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