Polymeric Thermal Microactuator With Embedded Silicon Skeleton: Part II—Fabrication, Characterization, and Application for 2-DOF Microgripper

Potential of thermally expandable polymers with embedded skeletons for actuator applications

This paper presents an overview of a new type of thermal micro-actuators using thermally expandable polymers with embedded skeletons. Embedding a stiff skeleton enhances the actuation capability of the thermally expandable polymer. Consequently, the skeleton-reinforced polymers feature a large maximum actuation stress (often above 100 MPa) and a...

Thermische actuator

Finite element modelling and experimental characterization of an electro-thermally actuated silicon-polymer micro gripper

Micro-electro-mechanical actuators using confined polymers

Polymers can be used to constitute "artificial muscles" that actuate under an electric stimulus. These polymers include dielectric elastomers and thermally expandable polymers. They are insulating and relatively compliant. Their electric activation is enabled with integration of electrodes, heat conductors or heaters. However, the electrodes or...

Polymer constraint effect for electrothermal bimorph microactuators

The authors report on the analysis of the polymer constraint effect and its use for a micromachined electrothermal bimorph actuator. The actuated displacement is enhanced due to the polymer constraint effect. Both the thermal expansion and apparent Young’s modulus of the constrained polymer blocks are significantly improved, compared with the no...

Powerful polymeric thermal microactuator with embedded silicon microstructure

A powerful and effective design of a polymeric thermal microactuator is presented. The design has SU-8 epoxy layers filled and bonded in a meandering silicon (Si) microstructure. The silicon microstructure reinforces the SU-8 layers by lateral restraint. It also improves the transverse thermal expansion coefficient and heat transfer for the...

Integrated Silicon-Polymer Laterally Stacked Bender for Sensing Microgrippers

An in-plane thermal unimorph using confined polymers

Electro-thermally Activated Polymeric Stack for Linear In-plane Actuation

Nano-hole arrays in thin Au/Pd film on glass, for high speed molecular analysis

A piezoelectric quad-morph actuated suspension for hard disk drives

Actuated elastomers with rigid vertical electrodes

Inline-actuated suspension for the fine head positioning of HDD