Effects of energized treatment on electro trigger shape memory behavior

Abstract

The shape memory polymers (SMPs) can be programmed to take temporary shapes and return to their original shape when subjected to external stimuli. Electrically triggered SMP has become an important branch of shape memory materials because of its advantages such as remote heating, fast response and local control. In this paper, a novel shape memory composite structure is prepared by using polylactic acid (PLA) as substrate and short carbon fiber (SCF) as conductive filler. The electrification treatment during the preparation process has a beneficial effect on the SCF arrangement. Compared with the sample without electrification treatment, the highest conductivity can be increased from 43.96 S/m to 66.67 S/m, and the performance is improved by 51.66 %. When the voltage is increased from 3 V to 8 V, the time to reach the glass transition temperature (Tg) is reduced by 62.22 %, and the shape memory recovery time is reduced by 53.68 %. The intelligent fixture based on the composite structure can realize the remote grasp of 3D printed balls with a diameter of 40 mm and a weight of 18.35 g under pressure, which fully proves the reliable electrically triggered shape memory performance of the composite structure and the great application potential in the field of robot gripper.