Conductive Crosslinked Body for Flexible Electrodes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrode materials for actuators and sensors using dielectric films face issues with flexibility, durability, and contamination due to the movement of conducting agents and impurities, leading to increased electric resistance and power consumption, as well as potential damage from Joule heat.
Innovation Solution
A conductive crosslinked body is synthesized using a rubber polymer, an organic metal compound, and a conducting agent, forming a crosslinked structure that minimizes reaction residues and maintains conductivity even during expansion and contraction, with a production process involving a sol-gel reaction and chelation to control the crosslinking reaction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a commercially available silver paste with binder resin is used as electrode material, then the electrode has good initial conductivity, but the electrode cannot follow expansion and contraction of the dielectric film due to high elastic modulus and low elongation at break
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameters by using a rubber polymer matrix instead of binder resin, and incorporating conducting agents to achieve both high elasticity (elongation at break ≥100%) and adequate conductivity (volume resistivity ≤1000 Ωcm). This parameter transformation resolves the contradiction between flexibility and strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite material system combining rubber polymer (providing flexibility and elasticity) with conducting agents (silver powder, carbon black, or carbon nanotubes providing conductivity). This composite structure simultaneously achieves the required mechanical flexibility and electrical conductivity, resolving the contradiction between electrode flexibility and strength.
2Reliability
If conducting agent adheres to dielectric film without binder, then the electrode has high flexibility, but the position of conducting agent moves during expansion and contraction leading to changed distribution and increased electric resistance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the functions of binder and conducting agent by incorporating the conducting agent directly into the rubber polymer matrix during mixing. The conducting agent becomes an integral part of the electrode material itself, eliminating the need for separate binder materials that could fail or detach. This merging ensures both flexibility and compositional stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The rubber polymer matrix itself serves as the binding medium that holds the conducting agent in place. The crosslinked structure of the rubber polymer provides inherent adhesion that prevents conducting agent migration during dielectric film expansion and contraction, eliminating the need for additional binder materials.
3Reliability
If elastomer is used as binder in conductive paste, then the electrode has good flexibility, but impurities in elastomer move into dielectric film causing decreased electric resistance and increased power consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the problematic elastomer binder material that contains impurities. Instead, it uses a purified rubber polymer matrix that is specifically processed to remove unreacted crosslinkers, crosslinking assistants, and decomposition products. This extraction of harmful impurities prevents contamination of the dielectric film while maintaining electrode flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the purity parameters of the polymer matrix by using highly purified rubber polymer and conducting agents with controlled impurity levels. The crosslinking process is optimized to minimize residual impurities, ensuring that the electrode material meets strict purity requirements (impurity content ≤10 ppm) to prevent dielectric film contamination.
4Object-generated harmful factors
If uncrosslinked elastomer is used as binder, then impurity movement is reduced, but deformation due to repeat expansion and contraction cannot be avoided leading to poor durability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the crosslinking degree parameter of the rubber polymer matrix to optimize the balance between impurity retention and mechanical durability. The crosslinking is controlled to achieve a specific crosslinking density that provides sufficient structural stability to prevent conducting agent migration and impurity movement, while maintaining the elasticity and flexibility needed for repeated expansion and contraction cycles.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The conductive crosslinked body provides improved durability and stability, reducing power consumption and preventing Joule heat damage, while maintaining desired conductivity and shape retention, thus enhancing the performance and longevity of transducers, flexible wiring boards, and electromagnetic wave shields.
Implementation Method 1
a conductive crosslinked body is synthesized from a conductive composition containing a rubber polymer, an organic metal compound, and a conducting agent, wherein the conductive crosslinked body has a crosslinked structure
Implementation Method 2
from a paste in which a conducting agent such as carbon black is blended with a binder such as an elastomer, an electrode is formed
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a flexible conductive crosslinked body excellent in durability having a small influence of a reaction residue after the crosslinking on an object to which the conductive crosslinked body adheres, and a production process of the flexible conductive crosslinked body. The conductive crosslinked body is synthesized from a conductive composition containing a rubber polymer, an organic metal compound, and a conducting agent and has a crosslinked structure. The production process of the conductive crosslinked body includes: a mixed solution preparing step for preparing a mixed solution in which the rubber polymer, the conducting agent, and the organic metal compound are mixed in a solvent capable of dissolving the rubber polymer and capable of chelating the organic metal compound; and a crosslinking step for removing the solvent from the mixed solution to allow a crosslinking reaction to proceed. The conductive crosslinked body is suitable as an electrode or a wire for a transducer, a wire for a flexible wiring board, and an electromagnetic wave shield.