Additive Manufacturing of 3D Conductive Polypyrrole Transducers (AM-3DCPT)

-背景：自动化技术越来越倾向于模仿自然界中观察到的肌肉驱动的运动。因此，对柔软的人造肌肉的需求不能由传统的刚性部件和马达构成。在这些软执行器的早期开发中使用了专门的材料，但它们很难制造成可靠的设备，这仍然是制造用于自动化的顺应性执行器和传感器的关键挑战之一。 -挑战：共轭聚合物(CP)具有独特的特性，使其能够将能量从一种形式转换为另一种形式，使其成为软执行器和传感器的理想候选者。然而，CP通常制备成简单的薄膜或粉末，这阻碍了它们的广泛采用。因此，要充分开发这些材料的潜力，新的功能材料和制造工艺是必不可少的。 -创新：我们对这一挑战的解决方案是一项正在申请专利的创新，它结合了一种新材料及其伴随的制造工艺，通过数字光处理(DLP)添加制造工艺产生3D CP结构。通过这种工艺制造的CP结构结合了精细的3D特征，解决了与传统CP制造相关的主要限制之一。这一能力提供了一种新的机制来实现无与伦比的CP性能，以实现具有集成的多维驱动和传感功能的新设备。 -目标和影响：I2I项目第一阶段的目标是开发和优化我们的原型CP材料和DLP制造技术，以进一步推动这一创新走向商业化。目前，我们得到了三家领先组织(Bürkert流体控制系统公司、Festo公司和DAVWIRE公司)的支持来测试我们的原型。这项新技术将对广泛的科学和工业领域产生影响 通过这项创新开发的新设备特别适合于医疗保健领域，作为芯片实验室设备和相关医疗诊断传感器的分配器。

- Background: There is a growing trend in automation technologies to mimic the muscle-driven movements observed in nature. As such, there is a demand for soft artificial muscles that cannot be constructed from traditional rigid parts and motors. Specialized materials have been employed in the early development of these soft actuators, however they are difficult to fabricate into reliable devices, which remains one of the key challenges in the creation of compliant actuators and sensors for automation. - Challenge: Conjugated polymers (CPs) possess unique properties that allow them to convert energy from one form to another, rendering them ideal candidates for soft actuators and sensors. However, CP are typically prepared as simple thin-films or powders which has hindered their wide-spread adoption. Therefore, new functional materials and manufacturing processes are essential to fully exploit the potential of these materials. - Innovation: Our solution to this challenge is a patent-pending innovation combining a novel Material and its concomitant Manufacturing Process that yields 3D CP structures via the digital light processing (DLP) additive manufacturing process. CP structures fabricated through this process incorporate fine 3D features, addressing one of the major limitations associated with conventional CP fabrication. This capability offers a novel mechanism to achieve unmatched CP performance to realize new devices with integrated multidimensional actuation and sensing capabilities. - Objective & Impact: The objective of Phase I of this I2I project is to develop and optimize our prototype CP materials and DLP fabrication technology to further advance this innovation towards commercialization. Currently, we have support of three leading organizations (Bürkert Fluid Control Systems, FESTO, and DAVWIRE) to test our prototypes. This novel technology will impact a broad range of scientific and industrial fields, and new devices developed through this innovation are particularly well-suited for healthcare as dispensers for lab-on-a-chip devices and related medical diagnostic sensors.