Thermal Microactuator Based on Temperature-sensitive Hydrogel. (2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Deng, Kangfa; Rohn, Mathias; Guenther, Margarita; Gerlach, Gerald
• Is Part Of: Procedia engineering. Volume 120(2015)
• Page Start: 57
• Page End: 62
• Publication Date: 2015
• Subjects: hydrogel -- thermal actuator -- response time -- thermoelectrical cooling -- Peltier element -- microelectromechanical systems; Engineering -- Congresses; Engineering -- Periodicals; Engineering; Conference proceedings; Periodicals; 620.005
• DOI: 10.1016/j.proeng.2015.08.565
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1877-7058

Abstract

Abstract: This paper presents the design, assembly and testing of a hydrogel-based thermal microactuator. N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) with 3-acrylamidopropionic acid is synthesized as a temperature-sensitive poly (NIPAAm-co-AAmPA). To control the actuation, a temperature control system based on thermoelectrical cooling (TEC) was built up with both a fast response time of 146 s and a high resolution of 0.1 °C. A miniaturized prototype was assembled and tested: the response time amounts to 12.2 min, just half of that of an actuator being heated up by a temperature chamber. The response time reduces with increasing temperature from 35 to 45 °C.