Parylene coated carbon nanotube actuators for tactile stimulation

Grzegorz Bubak; Alberto Ansaldo; David Gendron; Luca Brayda; Luca Ceseracciu; Davide Ricci

doi:10.1117/12.2084233

1 April 2015 Parylene coated carbon nanotube actuators for tactile stimulation

Grzegorz Bubak, Alberto Ansaldo, David Gendron, Luca Brayda, Luca Ceseracciu, Davide Ricci

Proceedings Volume 9430, Electroactive Polymer Actuators and Devices (EAPAD) 2015; 94300V (2015) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2084233
Event: SPIE Smart Structures and Materials + Nondestructive Evaluation and Health Monitoring, 2015, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

Ionic liquid/carbon nanotube based actuators have been constantly improved in recent years owing to their suitability for applications related to human-machine interaction and robotics thanks to their light-weight and low voltage operation. However, while great attention has been paid to the development of better electrodes and electrolytes, no adequate efforts were made to develop actuators to be used in direct contact with the human skin. Herein, we present our approach, based on the use of parylene-C coating. Indeed, owning to its physicochemical properties such as high dielectric strength, resistance to solvents, biological and chemical inactivity/inertness, parylene fulfils the requirements for use in biocompatible actuator fabrication. In this paper, we study the influence of the parylene coating on the actuator performance. To do so, we analyzed its mechanical and electrochemical properties. We looked into the role of parylene as a protection layer that can prevent alteration of the actuator performance likely caused by external conditions. In order to complete our study, we designed a haptic device and investigated the generated force, displacement and energy usage.

Citation Download Citation

Grzegorz Bubak, Alberto Ansaldo, David Gendron, Luca Brayda, Luca Ceseracciu, and Davide Ricci "Parylene coated carbon nanotube actuators for tactile stimulation", Proc. SPIE 9430, Electroactive Polymer Actuators and Devices (EAPAD) 2015, 94300V (1 April 2015); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2084233

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