Conductive Tubular Bundle for Artificial Muscle

Abstract

Conducting polymers are applied to actuator, sensors, energy storage device and display while the interchange rate of ions is usually low due to the rate-determining process of counter ion transport into the polymer layer for charge balance and mechanical property tend to brittle and low toughness. Hence, a conducting polymer is required to increase the surface per volume for enhancing efficiency. Tubular structure is known as higher toughness than fiber and higher surface. Thus we fabricate to tubular structure by using coaxial electrospinning and study to utilize inner and outer surface of tubular structure for enhancing efficiency of conducting polymer. Polyimide is polymerized with aniline monomer and has a good mechanical property as stiffener for conducting polymer. Surface tension is controlled by controlling inner diameter of polyimide tube. This is caused by capillary force and diffusion that put conducting monomer to inner of tube. We used two method for controlling inner diameter. First, by modulating the amount of Dimethylformamide from 1v/v% to 10v/v%, tube inner diameter is fabricated from 1?m to 100nm. Second, by controlling feeding ratio of core from 1?l/min to 6?l/min, tube inner diameter is fabricated from 250nm to 400nm. As upward 600nm of inner diameter, monomer is moved into inner tube by capillary force and diffusion while monomer is not moved into inner tube as downward 500nm of inner diameter. Conducting polymers coated in inner and outer walls of tubes are expected to be applied as a supercapacitor.