A new bistable electroactive polymer for prolonged cycle lifetime of refreshable Braille displays

Zhi Ren; Xiaofan Niu; Dustin Chen; Wei Hu; Qibing Pei

doi:10.1117/12.2044978

8 March 2014 A new bistable electroactive polymer for prolonged cycle lifetime of refreshable Braille displays

Zhi Ren, Xiaofan Niu, Dustin Chen, Wei Hu, Qibing Pei

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 9056, Electroactive Polymer Actuators and Devices (EAPAD) 2014; 905621 (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2044978
Event: SPIE Smart Structures and Materials + Nondestructive Evaluation and Health Monitoring, 2014, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Bistable electroactive polymers (BSEP) amalgamating electrically induced large-strain actuation and shape memory effect present a unique opportunity for refreshable Braille displays. A new BSEP material with long-chain crosslinkers to achieve prolonged cycle lifetime of refreshable Braille displays is reported here. The modulus of the BSEP material decreases by more than three orders of magnitude from a rigid, plastic state to a rubbery state when heated above the polymer’s glass transition temperature. In its rubbery state, the polymer film can be electrically actuated to buckle convexly when a high voltage is applied across a circular active area. Modifying the concentration of long-chain crosslinkers in the polymer allows not only for fine-tuning of the polymer’s glass transition temperature and elasticity in the rubbery state, but also enhancement of the actuation stability. For a raised height of 0.4 mm by a Braille dot with a 1.3 mm diameter, actuation can be repeated over 2000 cycles at 70°C in the rubbery state. The actuated dome shape can be fixed by cooling the polymer below the glass transition temperature. This refreshable rigid-to-rigid actuation simultaneously provides large-strain actuation and large force support. Devices capable of displaying Braille characters over a page-size area consisting of 324 Braille cells have been fabricated.

Citation Download Citation

Zhi Ren, Xiaofan Niu, Dustin Chen, Wei Hu, and Qibing Pei "A new bistable electroactive polymer for prolonged cycle lifetime of refreshable Braille displays", Proc. SPIE 9056, Electroactive Polymer Actuators and Devices (EAPAD) 2014, 905621 (8 March 2014); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2044978

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