Guidelines for Making Ionic Polymer–Metal Composite (IPMC) Materials as Artificial Muscles by Advanced Manufacturing Methods

Abstract

Ionic polymer–metal composites (IPMCs) are a type of electroactive polymer that exhibits large shape change under an applied electric field or, conversely, can produce electric signal giving an input of deformation. A heart compression device that integrates the IPMC sensors, actuators, and artificial muscles was presented. The underlying physics of the actuation and sensing mechanisms of IPMC are based primarily on these studies. Biology and nature have been inspirations for IPMC designs because of their flexibility and high deformation. Many biomimetic underwater vehicles that are propelled by an IPMC actuator have also been developed. The IPMC has the characteristics of softness and flexibility, which make it very suitable for biomedical devices. IPMC materials show great promise for use in robotics as soft-robotic actuators, where a large focus of existing research has been in aquatic robotic devices, such as artificial fish fins and other bio-inspired designs. IPMCs have also been shown to have some capabilities in energy harvesting.