Knowledge-Driven Design and Optimization of New Types of Yarn and Fiber Artificial Muscles
Abstract
This 3rd year and final report mainly summarizes our project-supported 2021 publication in Science (I) on unipolar-stroke, electroosmotic-pump carbon nanotube yarn muscles. Previous electrochemical carbon nanotube yarn muscles cannot be usefully operated between the extreme potentials of the electrochemical stability window, since the muscles stroke during electron and hole injection partially cancel. In contrast, the stroke changes of our unipolar stroke carbon nanotube yarn between extreme potentials are additive and in important cases muscle stroke remarkably increases with increasing potential scan rate. The normal decrease in stroke with increasing scan rate, because of decreased capacitance, is overwhelmed by a dramatic increase in effective ion size caused by electroosmotic pumping of solvent. These coiled carbon nanotube yarn muscles contain a yarn guest that shifts the yarns potential of zero charge by over a volt, either positively or negatively. Such pzc shift agents include ion-exchange membrane polymers, oxidized graphene platelets, and surfactants. Record muscle strokes, contractile work-per-cycle, contractile power densities, and energy conversion efficiencies are obtained for unipolar muscles having scan-rate enhanced stroke, and theory is used to understand results. Other key breakthroughs made this project year cannot be disclosed in this publicly available report because of ongoing patent filings, but will be fully described in following reports. Three US patent issuances, three US patent allowances, and 2 US patent filings have been made in the project year for AFOSR sponsored work. Also, one of our patent licensees has used our thermally powered muscles to manufacture comfort adjusting jackets that exploit environmental temperature changes to power changes in jacket insulation.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 14, 2022
- Accession Number
- AD1230332
Entities
People
- Ray H. Baughman
Organizations
- University of Texas at Dallas