Embedded electroactive polymer structures for use in medical devices

• US 20070247033A1
• Filed: 04/25/2006
• Published: 10/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed, Inc. (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed, Inc. (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Weber, Jan, Eidenschink, Tracee, Jagger, Karl
• Granted Patent: US 7,951,186 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 310/311
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 29/146 Porous materials, e.g. foams or sponges
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/0058 having an electroactive polymer material, e.g. for steering purposes, for control of flexibility, for locking, for opening or closing
• CPC Class Codes: F03G 7/005 Electro-chemical actuators; Actuators having a material for absorbing or desorbing gas, e.g. a metal hydride; Actuators using the difference in osmotic pressure between fluids; Actuators with elements stretchable when contacted with liquid rich in ions, with UV light, with a salt solution

Abstract

Medical devices or components thereof having electroactive polymer actuators embedded within at least a portion of the device of component thereof, and novel electroactive polymer actuators formed with a conductive substrate layer and an electroactive polymer layer, the electroactive polymer actuated upon application of a voltage to surrounding liquid electrolyte, the actuators may be embedded within an inert polymer matrix material, or within solid polyelectrolyte matrix material.

Claims

1. An electroactive polymer actuator formed with a conductive substrate layer and an electroactive polymer layer, the electroactive polymer actuatable upon application of an electrical potential applied between the conductive substrate layer and electrolyte with which said conductive substrate layer comes in contact, the electroactive polymer actuator embedded within a polymer matrix selected from the group consisting of inactive polymer matrix materials, active polymer matrix materials, and composites thereof, the polymer matrix forms at least a portion of a medical device.

2. The electroactive polymer actuator of claim 1 at least a portion of said medical device is formed from an inactive polymer matrix material and said electroactive polymer actuator is embedded therein.

3. The electroactive polymer actuator of claim 1 embedded within a composite of at least one inactive polymer matrix material and at least one inactive polymer matrix material.

4. The electroactive polymer actuator of claim 1 wherein said at least one inactive polymer matrix material is porous.

5. The electroactive polymer actuator of claim 1 wherein said electroactive polymer actuator is embedded within an active polymer matrix material which is a solid polyelectrolyte.

6. The electroactive polymer actuator of claim 1 wherein said conductive substrate layer is gold or platinum and the electroactive polymer layer is polypyrrole or polyaniline.

7. The electroactive polymer actuator of claim 1 embedded within a polymer matrix selected from the group consisting of homopolymers, copolymers and terpolymers of olefins, interpolymers of ethylene and at least one alpha-olefin, polyamides, polyurethanes, polyimides, homopolymers, copolymers and terpolymers of ether, rubbery block copolymers, polycarbonates, polyketones, polyesters and copolyesters, shape memory polymers, and mixtures thereof.

8. The electroactive polymer actuator of claim 7 wherein said matrix forms at least a portion of a medical device.

9. The electroactive polymer actuator of claim 8 wherein said medical device is a catheter assembly.

10. The electroactive actuator of claim 8 wherein said matrix forms at least a portion of a catheter inner shaft, a catheter outer shaft, a retractable sheath, a catheter tip, an expandable medical balloon, or an aneurysm coil release mechanism.

11. The electroactive polymer actuator of claim 1, in the form of a film, fibers or bundle of fibers.

12. An expandable medical balloon formed with a matrix material which defines a body, waist and cone portions, and embedded within at least a portion of the matrix material, is an electroactive polymer actuator.

13. The expandable medical balloon of claim 12 wherein said electroactive polymer actuator comprises an electroactive polymer layer and a conductive substrate layer.

14. The expandable medical balloon of claim 12 wherein said electroactive polymer actuator comprises an electroactive polymer layer, a conductive substrate layer and at least one solid, polyelectrolyte layer or gel polyelectrolyte layer.

15. The expandable medical balloon of claim 12 wherein said matrix material comprises at least one homopolymer, copolymer or terpolymer formed from at least one monomer selected from the group consisting of olefins, amides, ethers, esters, and mixtures thereof.

16. The expandable medical balloon of claim 13 wherein said matrix material has an inner surface and an outer surface, and at least one of said inner surface and outer surface is a porous surface, the porous surface allowing exposure to said active polymer layer.

17. The expandable medical balloon of claim 12 wherein said matrix material comprises a solid polyelectrolyte.

18. The expandable medical balloon of claim 12 having an inflated state and a deflated state, and in the deflated state, in the deflated state, the balloon having a folded configuration wherein said polymer matrix material further defines at least two wings, and said electroactive polymer actuator is embedded within at least a portion of said at least two wings.

19. The expandable medical balloon of claim 18 wherein said electroactive polymer actuator is embedded longitudinally within said at least two wings.

20. The expandable medical balloon of claim 12 having a folded configuration, and in the folded configuration said medical balloon comprising a radial circumference and at least two wings positioned uniformly about the radial circumference, the electroactive polymer actuator embedded in said polymer matrix material which defines said body portion of said balloon between said at least two wings.

21. The expandable medical balloon of claim 20 wherein said electroactive polymer actuator is embedded longitudinally in said body region between said at least two wings.

22. A retractable sheath for a catheter assembly formed from a matrix material and embedded within at least a portion of the matrix material, is an electroactive polymer actuator.

23. The expandable medical balloon of claim 22 wherein said electroactive polymer actuator comprises an electroactive polymer layer and a conductive substrate layer.

24. The expandable medical balloon of claim 22 wherein said electroactive polymer actuator comprises an electroactive polymer layer, a conductive substrate layer and at least one solid, polyelectrolyte layer or gel polyelectrolyte layer.

25. The expandable medical balloon of claim 22 wherein said matrix material comprises a solid polyelectrolyte.