Printed paper actuators are achievable through the fabrication process of Nafion being infused into paper. We studied the effect of different variables during fabrication and performance of the actuators. -Deflection (Paper Type and EAP Volume) -Electrical Performance (Parallel Resistance) -Immersion Time in ionic liquid increases deflection

                         

                       

Printed Paper Actuators for !Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)!

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Elisha J. Frazier1, Gerd Grau2, Vivek Subramanian2!

1Jackson State University, Department of Electrical Engineering!2University of California, Berkeley, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science!

Contact Information !elisha.j.frazier@gmail.com (601) 345-0080!

Data Analysis !

Support Information !This work was funded by the University of California Office of the President.

2015 UC Berkeley-Historically Black Colleges and Universities Pathways to the Science and Engineering Doctorate Program (UCB-HBCU) !

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Printed electronics is a promising technology for fabricating electronic devices. Printed electronics is advantageous due to its high-throughput, low-cost fabrication, compatibility with large areas, and possibility to be fabricated on flexible, lightweight substrates such as plastic and paper. A specific application that can be used to fully leverage the benefits of electronics is a paper-based unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The steering actuators are vital components for the operation of a UAV. They promise significant weight reduction when printed into paper to replace conventional components. Electroactive polymer (EAP) actuators are printed into the paper. They are actuated to bend and deflect by an applied voltage. This project focuses on the optimization of paper-based EAP actuators. A number of variables were studied. Paper type, EAP amount, and immersion time in ionic liquid prove to be essential in creating high-performance EAP actuators.

Abstract

>10x improvement in weight per unit area over silicon

Objective

     Integration of Printed Actuator Flaps

EAP  top    electrode  outerlayer  [Stencil  Print]  •  Silver  paste        

Electrical  Tes7ng  

Bare  paper  

Infuse  Electroac7ve    Polymer  (EAP)  •  Nafion  

Membrane  

EAP  top  electrode  interlayer  [Stencil  Print]  •  Nafion  5%            Solu6on    •  Silver  nanopowder    

         

EAP  boAom  electrode  interlayer  [Stencil  Print]  •  Nafion  5%            Solu6on    •  Silver  nanopowder    

 

 

EAP  boAom  electrode  outerlayer  [Stencil  Print]  •  Silver  paste        

Printed electronics is a technology that allows electronic devices and systems to be manufactured at low cost due to simple fabrication on novel substrates. It is becoming increasingly common to use this method to fabricate devices opposed to traditional methods because of numerous advantages seen in printed products. The lightweight nature of printed electronics has not been studied thoroughly. Furthermore, we want to study this factor through an application of a printed, paper unmanned aerial vehicle. The component of an UAV to focus on is the steering actuator because of its known heaviness to the system. Applications for an UAV include the monitoring of different environmental variables for weather predictions, pollution, wildfires, etc. Lightweight                                                                                                                    

References

Fig. 1. Example of electronics printed into a substrate.

[1] http://www.thinfilm.no [2] Barbar J. Akle, Matthew D. Bennentt, Donald J. Leo,   High-Strain ionmeric-liquid electroactive actuators, (2005) [3] Kwang J. Kim, Mohsen Shahinpoor, A novel method of manufacturing three dimensional ionic polymer-metal composites (IPMCs) biomimetic sensors, actuators and artificial muscles, (2001)

The goal is to replace conventional electronics and mechanical components of an UAV with printed electronics. We are focusing on actuators, which control the flight path of the UAV. We hope in the near future to morph wings onto the UAV for steering. Currently, printed actuator flaps are assembled to develop a more efficient component.

Image processing to automatically identify tip and calculate deflection

UAV with Mechanical Components

Method Motivation

Results

Data Analysis

Acknowledgements

Deflection Results

Paper type and EAP volume had an effect on the deformation of the actuator. Nafion is essential to the deformation of the actuator because of its ability to react under electric pressure. The deflection of the actuator depends heavily on this reaction. It is likely that the large pores of the filter paper absorb more Nafion. The absorption of Nafion causes the actuator to bend and deflect under an electric voltage.

Parallel Resistance Chemical Structure of Nafion

A larger parallel resistance improves the electrical performance of the actuator due to the lack of leakage of the capacitor. Paper type and temperature seem to have an effect on parallel resistance. Paper type likely changes the microstructure of the Nafion-infused paper. The large pores of the filter paper reduce the number of defects at the cellulose-Nafion interface. Also, we assume that the slower drying rates at low temperatures give more time for the microstructure to arrange itself, leading to a lower defect density.

0  

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1   10   100   1000  

C  (F)  

Soak  Time  (h)  

0  0.01  0.02  0.03  0.04  0.05  0.06  0.07  0.08  0.09  

1   10   100   1000  

D-­‐Speed  (m

m/s)  

Soak  Time  (h)  

   

The figures below show the effect of different soaking times. Longer soaking times lead to a larger capacitance (see Fig 2). Deflection follows a similar trend (see Fig 3). We can conclude that the higher capacitance will result in higher rates of deflection due to the increased amount of charge accumulation and corresponding ionic movement.

Figure 2. Capacitance as a function of soak time in hours Figure 3. Deflection speed as a function of soak time in hours

Gerd Grau, Mentor, UC Berkeley Vivek Subramanian, Supervisor, UC Berkeley Lea Marlor, UCB-HBCU Program Coordinator, UC Berkeley

Automated Deflection Detection System