Jae Do Nam

Actuator model of electrostrictive polymers (EPs) for microactuators

Recently, Electrostrictive polymers (EPs) are studied for micro-actuator, because of similarity of body tissue. Electrostrictive polymers (EPs) are based on the deformation of dielectric elastomer polymer in the presence of an electric field. Modeling of electrostrictive polymer has been studied, which is about voltage and displacement. And there are many parameters such as Youngs modulus, voltage, thickness of EPs, pre-strain, dielectric, frequency and temperature which effect to movement of EPs. To do exact modeling, all parameters are included. In order to use as actuator, we accurately understood about the parameter that we refer above. And we have to execute modeling which parameters are considered. We used FEM in order to understand effects of parameters. Specially, because of pre-strain effects are very important, we derive the relations of stress and strain by using elastic strain energy.

Development of electroactive silicate nanocomposites prepared for use as ionic polymer-metal composites (IPMCs) artificial muscles and sensors

Nanocomposites are a new class of composites which are typically nanoparticle-filled polymers. One promising kind of nanocomposite is clay-based and polymer-layered silicates nanocomposites because the starting clay materials are naturally abundant and, also, their intercalation chemistry is well understood at the present time. A certain clay, Montmorillonite (MxAl4- xMgx)Si8O20

Electroactive solid-state actuator and method of manufacturing the same

(OH4 has two-dimensional layers of their crystal structure lattice where the layer thickness is around 1 nm with the lateral dimension of approximately 30 nm to a few microns. These layers organize themselves to form stacks, so-called the Gallery through a van der Walls gap in between them. In this work, Montmorillonite (MMT) was modified by a cationic surfactant so as to lower its surface energy significantly. Such a process gave rise to favorable intercalation of nanoparticles within the galleries. The obtained XRD patterns and TEM images indicate that the silicate layers are completely and uniformly dispersed (nearly exfoliated) in a continuous polymer matrix of Nafion that has been successfully used as a starting material of ionic polymer-metal composites (IPMCs).