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

- 背景：自动化技术模仿自然界中观察到的肌肉驱动运动的趋势越来越明显。因此，存在对不能由传统刚性部件和马达构造的软人造肌肉的需求。在这些软致动器的早期开发中已经采用了专用材料，但是它们很难制造成可靠的设备，这仍然是创建用于自动化的柔性致动器和传感器的关键挑战之一。 - 挑战：共轭聚合物（CP）具有独特的性质，使它们能够将能量从一种形式转换为另一种形式，使它们成为软致动器和传感器的理想候选者。然而，CP通常被制备为简单的薄膜或粉末，这阻碍了它们的广泛采用。因此，新的功能材料和制造工艺对于充分开发这些材料的潜力至关重要。 - 创新：我们应对这一挑战的解决方案是一项正在申请专利的创新，结合了一种新型材料及其伴随的制造工艺，通过数字光处理（DLP）增材制造工艺产生3D CP结构。通过这种工艺制造的CP结构包含精细的3D特征，解决了与传统CP制造相关的主要限制之一。这种能力提供了一种新颖的机制来实现无与伦比的CP性能，以实现具有集成多维致动和感测能力的新设备。 - 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，我们有三个领先的组织（Bürkert流体控制系统，FESTO和DAVWIRE）来测试我们的原型。这项新技术将影响广泛的科学和工业领域。 领域，并且通过该创新开发的新设备特别适合于医疗保健，作为用于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.