Electromechanical simulation of cellulose based biomimetic electro-active actuator

초록

Electro-active paper (EAPap) is a new smart material that has a potential to be used in biomimetic actuator and sensor. It is made by cellulose that is very abundant material in nature. This material is fascinating with its biodegradability, lightweight, large displacement, high mechanical strength and low actuation voltage. It has been reported that ionic and piezoelectric effects play a dominant roll in the actuation mechanism. However, the electromechanical actuation mechanisms are not clearly established yet. This paper presents the modeling of the actuation behavior of water infused cellulose samples and their composite dielectric constant calculated by Maxwell- Wagner theory. Electro-mechanical forces are calculated using Maxwell stress tensor method. Also, bending deflection is evaluated from simple beam model and compared with experimental observation.