Ionic polymer–metal composite material as a diaphragm for micropump devices

Abstract

The ionic polymer–metal composite (IPMC) is a new functional material that, being flexible and capable of operating in air and in liquid environments, is a new candidate for diaphragms in micropump devices. In this paper, two different IPMC diaphragms have been fabricated and experimentally tested. Their stroke volume was examined with different values of electric current supplied for each IPMC diaphragm. The novel results showed that both diaphragms have an asymmetric behaviour of their upward and downward displacements mainly imposed by the electrode layer, which becomes more brittle as the IPMC diaphragm moves up and down. Stroke volumes up to 80 μl were obtained and a flow rate of about 8.02 μl/s was achieved for an operating frequency of 0.1 Hz. The results clearly show that there are significant differences between the obtained dynamic characteristics when it is used FEM simulations to study IPMCs diaphragms and when they are experimentally test in real operating conditions.