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

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- 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.