Ladd, Colin
(2016)
Design and Characterization of Electroresponsive Polymers Based on the Johnsen-Rahbek Effect.
Master's Thesis, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
Electroactive polymers (EAPs) are synthetic materials that react to an electrical stimulus by altering one or more of their properties and have been of much interest in the fields of electrochemical actuation and electroadhesion. The majority of electroadhesive devices employing EAPs are governed by coulombic forces generated when an electric potential is applied across a dielectric polymer. Typically these devices are comprised of a stack of two composites, each consisting of a dielectric bound to an electrode, in which the dielectric layers are in contact. The coulombic force generated across the electroactive layers electrostatically adheres the composite together. However, there exists another electroadhesive force, the Johnsen-Rahbek (JR) force, which is expressed in the case of imperfectly insulating materials such as ion-containing polymers. Whereas coulombic electroadhesive systems have been studied extensively, materials that exhibit the JR force have received much less attention. Herein, the synthesis and characterization of structures composed poly(ethylene-co-acrylic acid) polymers with tetraalkylammonium counterions is described. A structure-activity relationship between the identity of the counterion and the thermal, electrical, mechanical, and electroresponsive attributes of the material is presented. The alkyl chain length of the quaternary ammonium counterions is found to influence the properties such that longer chain lengths result in both a lower initial modulus and a higher percentage change in modulus under an applied voltage.
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Details
| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
|
| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
|
| ETD Committee: |
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| Date: |
28 January 2016 |
| Date Type: |
Publication |
| Defense Date: |
20 November 2015 |
| Approval Date: |
28 January 2016 |
| Submission Date: |
3 December 2015 |
| Access Restriction: |
No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately. |
| Number of Pages: |
55 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences > Chemistry |
| Degree: |
MS - Master of Science |
| Thesis Type: |
Master's Thesis |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
polymer, materials, electroadhesion, electroresponsive, modulus |
| Date Deposited: |
28 Jan 2016 14:03 |
| Last Modified: |
15 Nov 2016 14:31 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/26574 |
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