Forum for Science, Industry and Business

Engineers at Saarland University turn polymer films into self-sensing high-tech actuators

The engineering team from Saarland University is in Hannover to look for industrial partners interested in developing the new technology.

To showcase their technology at Hannover Messe, the engineers Philipp Linnebach (r.) and Paul Motzki (l.) have come up with a playful way of demonstrating its capabilities.

Credit: Oliver Dietze

Professor Stefan Seelecke

Credit: Oliver Dietze

The team will be showcasing the potential of their technology at Hannover Messe from the 23rd to the 27th of April at the Saarland Research and Innovation Stand (Hall 2, Stand B46) where they will be demonstrating how these electroactive films respond when they come into contact with other objects.

Equipped only with a variable electrical voltage, researchers at Saarland University can not only make an ultrathin silicon film change shape – compressing it in one direction while it expands in the other, they can also get it to perform complex choreographies – from high-frequency oscillations to continuously variable flexing motions. Films with these properties have the potential to be used as novel drives and actuators.

‘The two sides of a polymer membrane are coated with an electrically conducting layer. This enables us to apply a voltage to the polymer,’ explains Professor Stefan Seelecke from the Department of Intelligent Material Systems at Saarland University. Films that have been treated in this way are called ‘electroactive’ and these polymer systems are known as ‘electroactive polymers’ or ‘dielectric elastomers’.

If the engineers alter the applied electric field, the electrostatic attractive forces change accordingly and the film gets thinner while its area enlarges. When controlled by algorithms running in the background, this rather nondescript piece of polymer with a black coating transforms into a high-tech component that can be precisely controlled by an electric voltage.

‘We use the film itself as a position sensor. The component is not just an actuator, but also has sensory properties,’ says Stefan Seelecke. The research team can very precisely assign changes in the position of the film to changes in the film’s capacitance. ‘Measuring the capacitance of this dielectric elastomer allows us to infer the mechanical deformation of the film,’ explains Philipp Linnebach, a research assistant working on the new film-based drive systems and studying for a doctoral degree in Seelecke’s team. This allows specific motion sequences to be calculated precisely and programmed in a control unit.

Seelecke’s research team at Saarland University and at the Center for Mechatronics and Automation Technology (ZeMA) is developing the film in order to produce a wide variety of engineering components. Examples include a precision self-metering valve that operates without needing to be driven by compressed air or liquids, pump drives that do not require a conventional motor, or buttons for switching things on or off.

‘These components are highly energy-efficient and the film does not require any energy in order to maintain a specific position. It only needs energy when it changes its position,’ explains doctoral research student Paul Motzki, who is also a research assistant in Prof. Seelecke's group. When used as a pneumatic valve, the energy efficiency is about 500 times greater than that of a conventional solenoid valve.

To showcase their technology at Hannover Messe, the engineers have come up with a playful way of demonstrating its capabilities. If a ball falls onto the film, the film can measure the extent to which it has been deformed. The film not only provides information about the height from which the ball fell and its acceleration, it also fires the ball back.

Press photographs are available at https://www.uni-saarland.de/aktuelles/presse/pressefotos.html and can be used free of charge. Please read and comply with the conditions of use.

Contact for press enquiries:
Prof. Dr. Stefan Seelecke, Department of Intelligent Material Systems at Saarland University: Tel. +49 681 302-71341, Email: stefan.seelecke@imsl.uni-saarland.de
Philipp Linnebach, Tel.: +49 681 85787-96; Email: philipp.linnebach@imsl.uni-saarland.de
Paul Motzki, Tel.: +49 681 85787-545; Email: p.motzki@zema.de

German Version of the release:
https://www.uni-saarland.de/nc/aktuelles/artikel/nr/18796.html

The Saarland Research and Innovation Stand is organized by Saarland University's Contact Centre for Technology Transfer (KWT). KWT is the central point of contact for companies interested in exploring opportunities for cooperation and collaboration with researchers at Saarland University. http://www.uni-saarland.de/kwt

Background:
ZeMA – Center for Mechatronics and Automation Technology in Saarbrücken is a research hub for collaborative projects involving researchers from Saarland University, Saarland University of Applied Sciences (htw saar) and industrial partners. ZeMA is home to a large number of industry-specific development projects that aim to transform research findings into practical industrial applications.
http://www.zema.de/

Claudia Ehrlich | Universität des Saarlandes
Further information:
http://www.uni-saarland.de

Im Focus: It’s All in the Mix: Jülich Researchers are Developing Fast-Charging Solid-State Batteries

There are currently great hopes for solid-state batteries. They contain no liquid parts that could leak or catch fire. For this reason, they do not require cooling and are considered to be much safer, more reliable, and longer lasting than traditional lithium-ion batteries. Jülich scientists have now introduced a new concept that allows currents up to ten times greater during charging and discharging than previously described in the literature. The improvement was achieved by a “clever” choice of materials with a focus on consistently good compatibility. All components were made from phosphate compounds, which are well matched both chemically and mechanically.

The low current is considered one of the biggest hurdles in the development of solid-state batteries. It is the reason why the batteries take a relatively long...

Im Focus: Color effects from transparent 3D-printed nanostructures

New design tool automatically creates nanostructure 3D-print templates for user-given colors
Scientists present work at prestigious SIGGRAPH conference

Most of the objects we see are colored by pigments, but using pigments has disadvantages: such colors can fade, industrial pigments are often toxic, and...

Im Focus: Unraveling the nature of 'whistlers' from space in the lab

A new study sheds light on how ultralow frequency radio waves and plasmas interact

Scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles present new research on a curious cosmic phenomenon known as "whistlers" -- very low frequency packets...

Im Focus: New interactive machine learning tool makes car designs more aerodynamic

Scientists develop first tool to use machine learning methods to compute flow around interactively designable 3D objects. Tool will be presented at this year’s prestigious SIGGRAPH conference.

When engineers or designers want to test the aerodynamic properties of the newly designed shape of a car, airplane, or other object, they would normally model...

Im Focus: Robots as 'pump attendants': TU Graz develops robot-controlled rapid charging system for e-vehicles

Researchers from TU Graz and their industry partners have unveiled a world first: the prototype of a robot-controlled, high-speed combined charging system (CCS) for electric vehicles that enables series charging of cars in various parking positions.

Global demand for electric vehicles is forecast to rise sharply: by 2025, the number of new vehicle registrations is expected to reach 25 million per year....