Preparation method of fiber-based driver

Abstract

The invention provides a preparation method of a fiber-based driver, the fiber-based driver is prepared by twisting thermally-induced driving fibers, and the thermally-induced driving fibers comprise a first component with thermal shrinkage performance and a second component with thermal expansion performance; the first component and the second component are subjected to parallel spinning to obtain the thermally-induced driving fiber. Through the mode, the driving fiber which can be twisted at a certain temperature can be obtained by utilizing the thermally induced deformation performance of the first component and the second component; under the twisting condition, the driving fiber is processed into the fiber-based driver, so that the deformability and flexibility of the driving fiber can be well reserved by the fiber-based driver, and the thermotropic deformation response performance of the driving fiber in the twisting process can be further enhanced; therefore, the flexible fiber-based driver with the characteristics of high sensitivity and wide temperature response is prepared.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of preparation of driving materials, and particularly relates to a preparation method of a fiber-based actuator. Background Art

[0002] With the development of modern technology, intelligent materials have developed rapidly. Intelligent driving materials have extensive applications in sensors, energy conservation and emission reduction, and artificial robots. Flexible intelligent driving materials have potential application prospects in intelligent clothing due to their excellent bending performance. Currently, existing driving materials are mostly film materials, metal materials, or fiber materials doped with metal materials. Although film materials are simple to prepare, their further development is limited because film materials can only be pasted or sewn on textiles or the human body for use. For metal materials or fiber materials, the thermally induced deformation of single fibers or single types of fibers in the materials is limited and cannot meet large-range deformation requirements. Therefore, developing fiber-based intelligent driving materials with excellent performance to replace the current intelligent materials has become an urgent problem to be solved at present.

[0003] In the prior art, in a patent document with an application number of 201380051372.0, a publication number of July 8, 2015, and a title of "Curled and Uncurled Twisted Nanofiber Yarns and Polymer Fiber Torsion and Tension Actuators", a curled and uncurled twisted nanofiber yarn is disclosed, including: a first driving twisted nanofiber yarn segment and a first attachment directly or indirectly coupled to the first driving twisted nanofiber yarn segment, which includes nanofibers and a driving yarn object that undergoes a significant change in volume during the process of heating, exposure to radiation, exposure to chemicals or a chemical mixture, and any combination thereof; a non-electrochemical actuator prepared using the above yarn can achieve tensile drive, torsional drive, tensile drive and torsional drive, and any combination of drives. However, in the above technical solution, the thermally powered curled polymer fiber tensile actuator includes a first end and a second end, and the first end and the second end are torsionally tethered to prevent relative rotation between the first end and the second end during the driving of the thermally powered curled polymer fiber tensile actuator. Therefore, in this technical solution, both ends of the tensile actuator need to be fixed, which limits its use. At the same time, in the above technical solution, the fiber is a single-component fiber, and the driving performance is limited.

[0004] In view of this, it is necessary to design an improved preparation method of a fiber-based actuator to solve the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a preparation method of a fiber-based actuator.

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned invention object, the present invention provides a preparation method of a fiber-based actuator. The fiber-based actuator is obtained by twisting thermally actuated fibers. The thermally actuated fibers include a first component with thermal shrinkage performance and a second component with thermal expansion performance;

[0007] The first component and the second component are co-spun to obtain the thermally actuated fibers.

[0008] Furthermore, the preparation method of the fiber-based actuator includes the following steps:

[0009] S1. Co-spin the first component and the second component to obtain the thermally actuated fibers with a cross-section in a coaxial circular shape, coaxial "∞" shape or eccentric circle;

[0010] S2. Under the condition that the twist is 1000 - 2000 turns / m, twist a plurality of the thermally actuated fibers obtained in step S1, and then perform heat setting to obtain the fiber-based actuator.

[0011] Preferably, the thermal expansion coefficient range of the first component is 30 - 80×10 -6 m / mK; the thermal expansion coefficient range of the second component is 100 - 500×10 -6 m / mK.

[0012] Preferably, the first component includes polymer fibers filled with a heat-shrinking material, and the second component includes polymer fibers filled with a heat-expanding material.

[0013] Preferably, the heat-shrinking material includes one or more of bismuth nickel oxide, scandium fluoride, ruthenium oxide, lead vanadium oxide.

[0014] Preferably, the heat-expanding material includes one or two of ABS and SBS.

[0015] Preferably, in the first component, the mass fraction of the heat-shrinking material is 10% - 50%; in the second component, the mass fraction of the heat-expanding material is 10% - 50%.

[0016] Preferably, in step S2, the number of the thermally actuated fibers during the twisting process is 1 - 200.

[0017] Preferably, the fiber-based actuator can deform within a temperature range of -50 - 200°C.

[0018] Preferably, the first component and the second component include melt-spun fibers.

[0019] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0020] 1. The preparation method of the fiber-based actuator provided by the present invention first combines a first component with heat-shrinking properties and a second component with heat-expanding properties by means of spinning to obtain a driving fiber with a thermally induced deformation response. When the above fiber is subjected to a temperature stimulus, it will undergo thermal expansion or thermal contraction, resulting in the fiber bending spontaneously. Then, under the condition of twisting, a plurality of driving fibers are bundled to obtain a fiber-based actuator. This process can enhance the thermally induced deformation response performance of the driving fiber, and finally obtain a flexible fiber-based actuator with high sensitivity and wide temperature response characteristics.

[0021] 2. The preparation method of the fiber-based actuator provided by the present invention combines a first component and a second component with heat expansion coefficients meeting certain conditions to obtain a driving fiber. Due to the difference in the heat expansion coefficients of the first component and the second component, when the driving fiber is stimulated by the external temperature, the first component and the second component inside the driving fiber expand or contract. Due to the difference in the deformation behaviors between the components inside the driving fiber, it is manifested that the driving fiber can be twisted under the stimulation of the external temperature. Secondly, after the temperature is changed, the driving fiber undergoes the above twisting process again to achieve shape recovery. By twisting the driving fiber at a certain twist degree, the thermally induced deformation response performance of the driving fiber can be further enhanced, thereby obtaining a fiber-based actuator with a thermally induced deformation response performance. Based on the above performance of the fiber-based actuator, it can be used as a smart material, such as an actuator, a sensor, an artificial biological muscle, etc. The preparation process of the above fiber-based actuator only needs simple spinning and twisting treatments to be prepared, and has the advantages of simple preparation method and strong applicability. At the same time, the preparation method of the fiber-based actuator provided by the present invention is applicable to a variety of fibers and can be further applied to industrial production, providing an effective method for the preparation of intelligent materials. Specific embodiments

[0022] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present invention clearer, the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments.

[0023] In addition, it should be noted that the term "comprising", "including" or any other variation thereof is intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device comprising a series of elements not only includes those elements but also includes other elements not expressly listed, or further includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device.

[0024] The fiber-based actuator provided by the present invention is obtained by twisting a thermally actuated fiber. The thermally actuated fiber includes a first component with thermal shrinkage properties and a second component with thermal expansion properties. The cross-section of the first and second components obtained by side-by-side spinning is in the shape of "∞". Due to the difference in the coefficient of thermal expansion between the first and second components, the first and second components will expand or contract when stimulated by an external temperature, causing the fiber-based actuator to have deformation properties.

[0025] In particular, the present invention also provides a method for preparing the above-mentioned fiber-based actuator, including the following steps:

[0026] S1. Prepare the thermally actuated fiber: Side-by-side spin a first component with thermal shrinkage properties and a second component with thermal expansion properties to obtain a thermally actuated fiber with a cross-section in the shape of a side-by-side circle, side-by-side "∞" or eccentric circle;

[0027] S2. Twist the thermally actuated fiber: Twist a number of thermally actuated fibers obtained in step S1 at a twist of 1000-2000 turns / m and then perform heat setting to obtain the fiber-based actuator.

[0028] Preferably, in step S1, the first component can be a polymer fiber with heat shrinkage properties or a polymer fiber filled with a heat shrinkage material; the second component can be a polymer fiber with heat expansion properties or a polymer fiber filled with a heat expansion material; wherein, the heat shrinkage material includes one or more of bismuth nickel oxide, scandium fluoride, ruthenium oxide, lead vanadium oxide, and the heat expansion material includes one or two of ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer) and SBS (styrene-butadiene-styrene copolymer). In the first component, the mass fraction of the heat shrinkage material is 10%-50%; in the second component, the mass fraction of the heat expansion material is 10%-50%.

[0029] Preferably, the first and second components include melt-spun fibers.

[0030] Preferably, in step S1, the coefficient of thermal expansion of the first component ranges from 30 to 80×10 -6 m / mk; the coefficient of thermal expansion of the first component ranges from 100 to 500×10 -6 m / mk.

[0031] Preferably, in step S1, the content ratio of the first component to the second component in the thermally actuated fiber is 10:90 to 50:50.

[0032] Preferably, in step S2, the number of thermally actuated fibers during twisting is 1-200.

[0033] Preferably, the fiber-based actuator undergoes thermally induced deformation within a temperature range of -50 to 200 °C.

[0034] The working principle of the fiber-based actuator proposed by the present invention:

[0035] In the present invention, first, a spinning method is used to combine a first component with thermal shrinkage properties and a second component with thermal expansion properties to obtain a driving fiber with a thermally induced deformation response. The above-mentioned fiber will undergo thermal expansion or thermal contraction under the stimulation of the external temperature, thereby causing the fiber to bend spontaneously. Then, under the condition of twisting, a plurality of driving fibers are bundled to obtain a fiber-based actuator. Since the fiber-based actuator is obtained by twisting the driving fiber, the fiber-based actuator can well maintain the softness of the original fiber material. At the same time, the thermally induced deformation response performance of the driving fiber is enhanced during the twisting process, and finally, a fiber-based actuator with high sensitivity and wide temperature response characteristics is obtained.

[0036] The following further illustrates the preparation method of the fiber-based actuator provided by the present invention with specific examples:

[0037] Example 1

[0038] This example provides a fiber-based actuator, which is obtained by twisting thermally driven fibers. The thermally driven fibers include a first component with thermal shrinkage properties and a second component with thermal expansion properties. The cross-section of the first component and the second component obtained by side-by-side spinning is in the shape of "∞". Due to the difference in the thermal expansion coefficients of the first component and the second component, the first component and the second component will undergo differential deformation when stimulated by the external temperature, prompting the fiber-based actuator to have twisting and shrinking properties.

[0039] The preparation method of the above-mentioned fiber-based actuator includes the following steps:

[0040] S1. Prepare thermally driven fibers: Use a polymer fiber filled with a heat-shrinking material, bismuth nickel oxide, as the first component, and use a polymer fiber filled with a heat-expanding material, ABS, as the second component. Among them, the addition amount of bismuth nickel oxide in the first component is 20% wt, and the addition amount of ABS in the second component is 20% wt. Side-by-side spin the first component and the second component to obtain thermally driven fibers with a cross-section in the shape of "∞"; among them, the thermal expansion coefficient of the first component is 50×10 -6 m / mk, and the thermal expansion coefficient of the second component is 300×10 -6 m / mk.

[0041] S2. Twist the thermally driven fibers: Twist 100 thermally driven fibers obtained in step S1 at a twist of 1000 turns / m and then perform heat setting to obtain the fiber-based actuator.

[0042] To investigate the thermally induced deformation response of the fiber-based actuator to temperature, the fiber-based actuator was placed at a temperature of 100 °C, and the deformation of the fiber-based actuator before and after the application of temperature was measured.

[0043] Examples 2 to 3

[0044] The differences between Examples 2 to 3 and Example 1 are only as follows: in step S2, the twist of the twisting treatment is different, and other conditions are basically the same as those in Example 1, which will not be elaborated here. The twist of Examples 1 to 3 and the deformation of the fiber-based actuators prepared therefrom are shown in Table 1.

[0045] Table 1 Twist settings of Examples 1 to 3

[0046] Project Twist (turns / m) Deformation amount Example 1 1000 10％ Example 2 1500 15％ Example 3 2000 20％

[0047] As can be seen from Table 1, with the increase of the twist, the deformation of the prepared fiber-based actuator gradually increases. When the twist increases to 2000 twists / m, if the twist continues to increase, the fiber strength will decrease, affecting the service life of the actuator.

[0048] Examples 4 to 5

[0049] The differences between Examples 4 to 5 and Example 1 are only as follows: in step S1, the content ratio of the heat-shrinking material in the first component and the heat-expanding material in the second component in the thermally actuated fiber is different, and other conditions are basically the same as those in Example 1, which will not be elaborated here. The content ratio settings of the first component and the second component in Example 1 and Examples 4 to 5 are shown in Table 2.

[0050] Table 2 Content ratio settings of the heat-shrinking material in the first component and the heat-expanding material in the second component in Example 1 and Examples 4 to 5

[0051]

[0052] As can be seen from Table 2, the addition of both the heat-shrinking and heat-expanding materials can cause the actuator to deform when stimulated by external heat. When the addition ratios of the two components increase simultaneously, the increase in deformation is more obvious. However, if the addition amount of the functional material is too large, it will affect the spinning performance and it is difficult to achieve uniform and stable spinning. At the same time, if the addition amount of the functional material is too large, it will affect the mechanical properties of the fiber.

[0053] In summary, the preparation method of the fiber-based actuator provided by the present invention combines a first component with heat shrinkage performance and a second component with heat expansion performance by means of spinning to obtain a driving fiber with a thermally induced deformation response. When temperature stimulation is applied to the above fiber, heat expansion or heat shrinkage will occur, resulting in spontaneous bending of the fiber. Then, under the condition of twisting, a plurality of driving fibers are bundled to obtain a fiber-based actuator. This process can enhance the thermally induced deformation response performance of the driving fiber, and finally a flexible fiber-based actuator with high sensitivity and wide temperature response characteristics is obtained. In the above manner, a preparation method of a fiber-based actuator that is simple to prepare, has strong applicability, and can be industrially produced is provided.

[0054] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and not to limit them. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that the technical solutions of the present invention can be modified or equivalently replaced without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the present invention.

Claims

1. A preparation method of a fiber-based actuator, characterized in that, The fiber-based actuator is obtained by twisting heat-driven fibers, and the heat-driven fibers include a first component with heat-shrinking properties and a second component with heat-expanding properties; The first component and the second component are obtained by side-by-side spinning to obtain the heat-driven fibers.

2. The preparation method of the fiber-based actuator according to claim 1, characterized in that It includes the following steps: S1. Side-by-side spin the first component and the second component to obtain the heat-driven fibers with a side-by-side circular cross-section, side-by-side "∞"-shaped cross-section or eccentric circular cross-section; S2. Under the condition that the twist is 1000-2000 turns / m, twist a number of the heat-driven fibers obtained in step S1, and then perform heat setting to obtain the fiber-based actuator.

3. The preparation method of the fiber-based actuator according to claim 2, wherein, The coefficient of thermal expansion of the first component ranges from 30 to 80×10 -6 m / mK; the coefficient of thermal expansion of the second component ranges from 100 to 500×10 -6 m / mK.

4. The preparation method of the fiber-based actuator according to claim 2, wherein The first component includes polymer fibers filled with a heat-shrinking material, and the second component includes polymer fibers filled with a heat-expanding material.

5. The preparation method of the fiber-based actuator according to claim 4, characterized in that, The heat-shrinking material includes one or more of nickel bismuth oxide, scandium fluoride, ruthenium oxide, lead vanadium oxide.

6. The preparation method of the fiber-based actuator according to claim 4, wherein, The heat-expanding material includes one or two of ABS and SBS.

7. The preparation method of the fiber-based actuator according to claim 4, wherein, In the first component, the mass fraction of the heat-shrinking material is 10%-50%; in the second component, the mass fraction of the heat-expanding material is 10%-50%.

8. The preparation method of the fiber-based actuator according to claim 2, wherein In step S2, the number of the heat-driven fibers during the twisting process is 1-200.

9. The preparation method of the fiber-based actuator according to claim 2, characterized in that, The fiber-based actuator can deform within the temperature range of -50 to 200 °C.

10. The preparation method of the fiber-based actuator according to claim 2, wherein The first component and the second component include melt-spun fibers.

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