9 results about "Electroactive polymer actuators" patented technology

An instrument suitable for use in surgical procedures may include (a) a body having a distal end and a proximal end, the body having a catheter between the distal end and the proximal end allowing fluid to flow through the catheter under suction; and (b) one or more actuators attached or embedded in the body, each actuator comprising one or more electroactive polymer layers providing mechanical movement at the distal end in response to simulation of an associated electrical control signal, where the electrical control signal is provided in a predetermined coordinated pattern. The predetermined coordination pattern may include two or more sets of actuators that are activated sequentially, simultaneously, or in a combination thereof.

An instrument suitable for use in a surgical procedure may include (a) a body having a distal end and a proximal end, the body having a conduit between the distal end and the proximal end through which a fluid is allowed to flow under the suction; and (b) one or more actuators attached or embedded in the body, each actuator comprising one or more electroactive polymer layers that provides a mechanical motion at the distal end in response to simulation by an associated one of the electrical control signals, wherein the electrical control signals are provided in a predetermined coordinated pattern. The predetermined coordinated pattern may involve two or more groups of the actuators being activated sequentially, concurrently or a combination thereof.

An instrument suitable for surgical procedures may include: (a) a body having a distal end and a proximal end, and including a lumen between the distal and proximal ends through which a fluid moves during suction; and (b) one or more actuators attached to or embedded in the body, each actuator comprising one or more electroactive polymer layers that provide mechanical motion at the distal end in response to stimulation by a corresponding electrical control signal, the electrical control signal being supplied in a predetermined coordinated pattern. The predetermined coordinated pattern may include operating two or more groups of actuators sequentially, simultaneously, or in combination thereof.

A medical device includes at least one ionic electroactive polymer actuator, the actuator including at least one polymer electrolyte member defining at least a surface and a plurality of electrodes disposed about the surface of the at least one polymer electrolyte member, an elongate, flexible portion defining a proximal end and a distal end secured adjacent to the ionic electroactive polymer actuator and the elongate, flexible portion further comprising a core and a sleeve surrounding the core and a plurality of electrically-conductive wires, each having a proximal end and a distal end coupled to at least one of the plurality of electrodes, wherein the at least one polymer electrolyte member deforms asymmetrically in response to the application of an electrical potential supplied through at least one of the plurality of electrically-conductive wires to at least one of the plurality of electrodes.

This invention discloses a 3D printing method for preparing an ionic electroactive polymer actuator, belonging to the fields of intelligent drive materials and additive manufacturing technology. The process includes: melt-blending perfluorosulfonic acid resin particles and thermoplastic resin particles to extrude 3D printing filaments; fabricating a precursor structure through fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printing; embedding soluble powder for heat treatment; hydrolyzing and cleaning to obtain an ion exchange membrane; depositing metal electrodes on the membrane surface through chemical plating; and finally performing ion exchange to ultimately prepare the ionic electroactive polymer actuator. The method provided by this invention reduces the printing difficulty of perfluorosulfonic acid resin filaments, overcomes the current spatial forming challenges in ionic electroactive polymer 3D printing, and controls the deformation direction of the ionic electroactive polymer actuator through the texture formed by 3D printing, achieving multi-mode deformation such as bending and torsion. This enriches the structural and functional properties of ionic electroactive polymer actuators and broadens their application range.

A medical device includes at least one ionic electroactive polymer actuator, the actuator including at least one polymer electrolyte member defining at least a surface and a plurality of electrodes disposed about the surface of the at least one polymer electrolyte member, an elongate, flexible portion defining a proximal end and a distal end secured adjacent to the ionic electroactive polymer actuator and the elongate, flexible portion further comprising a core and a sleeve surrounding the core and a plurality of electrically-conductive wires, each having a proximal end and a distal end coupled to at least one of the plurality of electrodes, wherein the at least one polymer electrolyte member deforms asymmetrically in response to the application of an electrical potential supplied through at least one of the plurality of electrically-conductive wires to at least one of the plurality of electrodes.

The present invention relates to a catheter device for the delivery of one or more therapeutic agents comprising: a proximal end portion coupled to a controller configured to provide electrical signals; and a distal end portion comprising one or more electroactive polymer actuators configured for vibrational motion in response to the electrical signals; wherein the catheter device is configured to carry the electrical signals from the controller to the one or more electroactive polymer actuators; and wherein the catheter device is further configured to release one or more therapeutic agents from the distal end portion of the catheter device. The present disclosure also relates to a catheter device comprising a sleeve positioned over the electroactive polymer actuators. The present disclosure further relates to methods and procedures using devices and systems comprising electroactive polymer actuators.

A biological cell holding or culturing device (20) comprises a chamber defining a fluid holding space (30) for holding a body of fluid (34) in use, and a deformable membrane (36) communicating with the fluid holding space and being manipulable by an electroactive polymer actuator device (38) to undergo a defined topological change to induce a pattern of fluid flow in the fluid by which fluid is exchanged between a sub-region (46) proximate to the deformable membrane and a sub-region (48) removed from the deformable membrane.

There are provided stretchable solid-state electroactive polymer actuators (SSEPA) using electroactive polymers that convert between electrical energy and mechanical energy and having solid-state polymer electrolytes. More particularly, there are provided electroactive polymer (EAP) compositions comprising: 15-60 wt. % of a film-forming polymer; 5-40 wt. % of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) and 10-40 wt. % of a plasticizer, solid-state polymer electrolyte (SPE) compositions comprising: 20-60 wt. % of a plasticizer, 10-60 wt. % of a film-forming polymer and 5-25 wt. % of an ionizable salt. The use of these EAP and SPE compositions in electromechanical devices, such as solid-state actuators, generators, sensors, and other energy transducers in various applications are also disclosed.