Design and manufacturing considerations of low-voltage multilayer P(VDF-TrFE) actuators

An actuator unit consisting of three multilayered cantilevers with poly( vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) on top of a flexible printed circuit board substrate is presented. The multilayer structure has five active polymer layers and six electrodes with an alternating ground and phase configuration. Different aspects regarding processing and deflection advantages, depending on which side of the substrate the multilayer structure is manufactured, are discussed. One of the cantilever configurations is dynamically modelled using finite element software and the results are compared to measured values. Because of the combination of a multilayer design and the resonant driving mode, the actuators could be powered by solar cells or used in portable electronics. A 2 V signal resulted in a tip deflection of 56 mu m. To test the unit as a conveyer, speed measurements were conducted using the unit in an upright position. With a 2.5 V signal the speed was 29 mu m s(-1) whereas an 8 V signal resulted in 732 mu m s(-1). Motion in all four directions could be confirmed by tuning the frequency of a 10 V square wave signal from 640 Hz to 740 Hz.