Electrochemical devices incorporating high-conductivity conjugated polymers

• US 6,982,514 B1
• Filed: 05/22/2001
• Issued: 01/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Santa Fe Science And Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Santa Fe Science And Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Mattes, Benjamin R., Smela, Elisabeth, Zuccarello, Guido, Lu, Wen, Adams, Philip N.
• Primary Examiner(s): DOUGHERTY, THOMAS M
• Application Number:
  US09/863,808
• Time in Patent Office: 1,687 Days
• Field of Search: 310/300
• US Class Current: 310/300
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 1/127 comprising five-membered aromatic rings in the main chain, e.g. polypyrroles, polythiophenes
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 1/128 comprising six-membered aromatic rings in the main chain, e.g. polyanilines, polyphenylenes
• CPC Class Codes: H02N 11/006 Motors
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 310/80 Piezoelectric polymers, e.g. PVDF

Abstract

The present invention includes the preparation of highly conducting conjugated polymers and their use as electrochemical actuators, A typical electrochemical actuator comprises a highly conducting, conjugated polymer for the anode or the cathode, or for both the anode and the cathode; suitable conjugate polymers have a conductivity ≧100 S/cm. The material may have any form, including films and fibers. A preferred shape is a strip or a fiber, where the fiber can be solid or hollow, although any shape may be used. Before use, the material may be treated, for example, by immersion in an acid, in order to dope/protonate the material or to introduce anions or to exchange the anion in the polymer for another anion. Other materials may be incorporated in the polyaniline to increase its conductivity or to provide other benefits, such as increased strength. Useful conducting polymers include monomers of anilines, pyrroles, thiophenes, phenylene vinylenes, and derivatives thereof.

Claims

1. An electrochemical actuator comprising a high-conductivity conjugated polymer element other than a polypyrrole element having an electrical conductivity of ≧

150 S/cm, wherein said element actuates by linear extension/contraction.

2. The electrochemical actuator as described in claim 1, wherein the high-conductivity conjugated polymer is prepared from a monomer selected from the group consisting of aniline, thiophene, phenylene vinylene, and derivatives thereof.

3. The electrochemical actuator as described in claim 2, wherein the derivatives comprise derivatives that generate high-conductivity conjugated polymers when polymerized.

4. The electrochemical actuator as described in claim 3, wherein the derivatives are selected from the group consisting of C1–

C10 alkyl-, C1–

C10 alkoxy-, halo-, nitro-, cyano-, and ester-substituted monomers.