Kazuhiro Tanimoto

Effect of helix inversion of poly(β-phenethyl l-aspartate) on macroscopic piezoelectricity

It has been reported that poly(β-phenethyl l-aspartate) (PPLA) exhibits irreversible inversion from right-handed to left-handed helixes in a solid state at 130–140 °C from the results of circular dichroism measurement and X-ray diffraction. On the other hand, it is well known that semicrystalline chiral polymers show shear piezoelectricity due to their asymmetric crystal structure. The results of macroscopic shear piezoelectric measurement include information on macroscopic and microscopic properties due to the helix structure of the chain molecules. However, in general, no direct correspondence has been reported between the macroscopic piezoelectric properties and crystal characteristics because of the existence of a unique complex high-order structure in polymer films. We measured the temperature dependence of the piezoelectricity of a PPLA film in order to obtain more information concerning the helix inversion process. As a result, the sign inversion of the piezoelectric constant was observed at the temperature at which the helix inversion took place. It was also shown that the macroscopic orientation of the crystalline structure was maintained in the PPLA film after the sign inversion, even though molecular motion such as the segmental motion and side-chain motion of PPLA molecules was activated.

Flexible tension sensor based on poly(l-lactic acid) film with coaxial structure

We have developed a tension sensor with a coaxial structure using a narrow slit ribbon made of a uniaxially stretched poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA) film for application to a wearable device. The tension sensor is produced as follows. We used tinsel wire as the center conductor of the sensor. The tinsel wire consists of a yarn of synthetic fibers arranged at the center, with a spirally wound rolled copper foil ribbon on the side surface. Next, slit ribbons obtained from a uniaxially oriented film of PLLA are wound helically on the side surface of the center conductor in the direction of a left-handed screw, at an angle of 45° to the central axis. The rolled copper foil is used as an outer conductor and covers the yarn without a gap. The prototype of the fabricated tension sensor has good flexibility, since the sensor is in the form of a filament and consists of a highly flexible material. For the 1 mm tension sensor, it was found that for a tension of 1 N, a charge of 14 pC was output. It was also found that the sensor maintained its room-temperature sensitivity up to 60 °C. Compared with an existing coaxial line sensor using poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF), the sensor using PLLA does not exhibit pyroelectricity, meaning that no undesirable voltage is generated when in contact with body heat, which is a significant advantage as wearable sensors. The result has demonstrated the potential application of the PLLA film to wearable devices for detecting heartbeat and respiration.

Shear piezoelectricity of optically active polysuccinimides

Optically active crystalline polymers have shear piezoelectricity owing to their asymmetric crystal structure. In this study, to explore a novel shear piezoelectric polymer, we have focused on an imide ring structure and synthesized optically active polysuccinimides (PSIs), the minimum structure of optically active polyimides. As a result, optically active PSIs were obtained, and we observed that oriented optically active PSI films show shear piezoelectricity. Furthermore, both optical purity and molecular weight are significant factors in piezoelectric performance. This is the first report of the shear piezoelectricity of optically active polyimides, and we identify herein a novel category of a shear piezoelectric polymer.