Roll-to-roll manufacturing processes for producing self-healing electroactive polymer devices

• US 9,876,160 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2013
• Issued: 01/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Parker Intangibles LLC (Parker-Hannifin Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Parker-Hannifin Corporation
• Inventors: Biggs, Silmon J., Elsberry, Jeremy, Campbell, Andrew B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Vishal I
• Application Number:
  US14/385,886
• Publication Number:
  US 20150034237A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,770 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 1/04 involving the use of an electrostatic field B05D1/025 and B05D1/14 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 1/265 Extrusion coatings
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 1/28 performed by transfer from the surfaces of elements carrying the liquid or other fluent material, e.g. brushes, pads, rollers
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 1/305 Curtain coating
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 1/32 using means for protecting parts of a surface not to be coated, e.g. using stencils, resists
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2037/243 Coating
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2037/246 Vapour deposition
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2038/0028 Stretching, elongating
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/204 Di-electric
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2457/00 Electrical equipment
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 37/24 with at least one layer not being coherent before laminating, e.g. made up from granular material sprinkled onto a substrate B32B37/15 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 38/0012 Mechanical treatment, e.g. roughening, deforming, stretching
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 43/006 Delaminating
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/34 Sputtering
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/44 characterised by the method of coating C23C16/04 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/03 Assembling devices that include piezoelectric or electrostrictive parts
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/04 Treatments to modify a piezoelectric or electrostrictive property, e.g. polarisation characteristics, vibration characteristics or mode tuning
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/06 Forming electrodes or interconnections, e.g. leads or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/098 Forming organic materials
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/206 using only longitudinal or thickness displacement, e.g. d33 or d31 type devices
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/857 : Macromolecular compositions
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/87 : Electrodes or interconnections, e.g. leads or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/878 : the principal material being non-metallic, e.g. oxide or carbon based
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/886 : Additional mechanical prestressing means, e.g. springs
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1195 : Delaminating from release surface

Abstract

A process for producing a corrugated electrode for use in an electroactive polymer cartridge is disclosed. A laminated web comprising a support sheet laminated to a dielectric elastomer film is positioned. The support sheet defines areas exposing portions of the dielectric elastomer film. A force is applied to the positioned laminated web to stretch the laminated support sheet-dielectric elastomer film web in a direction that is orthogonal to a plane defined by the web. An electrically conductive material is applied to the laminated support sheet-dielectric elastomer film web while the laminated support sheet-dielectric elastomer film web is in a stretched state. The laminated support sheet-dielectric elastomer film web is relaxed to form the corrugated electrode on the dielectric elastomer film portion of the web.

Claims

1. A process for producing an electroactive polymer cartridge with a corrugated surface, the process comprising:

positioning a web comprising a support material attached to a dielectric elastomer film, the support material defining areas exposing portions of the dielectric elastomer film;

applying a force to stretch the positioned web in a direction that is orthogonal to a plane defined by the web;

applying a second material to the web while the web is in a stretched state; and

relaxing the web to form a corrugated layer on the dielectric elastomer film portion of the web.

2. The process according to claim 1, wherein the second material is electrically conductive.

3. The process according to claim 1, wherein the second material is electrically non-conductive.

4. The process according to claim 1, wherein the support material is a support sheet laminated to the dielectric elastomer film.

5. The process according to claim 1, wherein the support material is printed.

6. The process according to claim 1, further comprising defining elements of the electroactive polymer cartridge in the support material.

7. The process according to claim 1, further comprising applying a release layer on the support material.

8. The process according to claim 7, further comprising:

laminating an adhesive tape to the support sheet to hold cut-out elements fixed relative to a frame portion of the electroactive polymer cartridge;

ejecting slugs of the support sheet material defined between the elements and the frame portion of the electroactive polymer cartridge; and

removing the laminated adhesive tape.

9. The process according to claim 7, further comprising stripping the release layer.

10. The process according to claim 1 further comprising applying a fatigue resistant conductive bus on the corrugated area.

11. The process according to claim 10 further comprising applying an encapsulation layer over the fatigue resistant conductive bus.

12. The process according to claim 10, wherein the fatigue resistant conductive bus is made of a conductive ink comprising carbon.

13. The process according to claim 1 further comprising laminating the dielectric elastomer film between a first and second support sheet.

14. The process according to claim 2, wherein applying an electrically conductive material is selected from the group consisting of sputtering, evaporating, printing, spraying, depositing, chemical vapor deposition, offset printing, screen printing, spray printing, electrostatic spray printing, flexography, pad printing, gravure printing, ink jet printing, curtain coating, extrusion coating, slot-die coating, kiss coating, roller coating, and aerosol jet printing, and/or combinations thereof.

15. The process according to claim 2, wherein the electrically conductive material is selected from the group consisting of gold, silver, copper, carbon, palladium silver, aluminum, conductive inks, conductive polymer and/or combinations thereof.

16. The process according to claim 4, wherein positioning further comprises positioning the support sheet laminated to the dielectric elastomer film in a deposition chamber.

17. The process according to claim 16, wherein applying the force to stretch the film web in the direction that is orthogonal to the plane defined by the web further comprises rotatably contacting a frustoconical projection on a drum with the web.

18. A process for producing a corrugated electrode for use in an electroactive polymer cartridge, the process comprising:

positioning a laminated web comprising first and second sides, the laminated web further comprising a dielectric elastomer film laminated between first and second support sheets, the first and second support sheets defining areas exposing portions of the dielectric elastomer film;

applying a first force to stretch the positioned laminated web in a direction that is orthogonal to a plane defined by the laminated web to a first predetermined distance in the direction of the applied first force;

applying a first electrically conductive material to the first side of the laminated web while the laminated web is in a stretched state; and

relaxing the laminated web to form a first corrugated electrode on a first side of the dielectric elastomer film portion of the laminated web.

19. The process according to claim 18 further comprising:

turning over the laminated web;

positioning the laminated web;

applying a second force to stretch the positioned laminated web in a direction that is orthogonal to a plane defined by the laminated web to a second predetermined distance in the direction of the applied second force;

applying a second electrically conductive material to the second side of the laminated web while the laminated web is in a stretched state; and

relaxing the laminated web to form a second corrugated electrode on a second side of the dielectric elastomer film portion of the laminated web.

20. The process according to claim 18, wherein the first predetermined distance is greater than the second predetermined distance.

21. The process according to claim 18, wherein the first and second electrically conductive materials are similar materials.

22. The process according to claim 18, further comprising stripping a release layer from the first and second sides of the laminated web.

23. The process according to claim 18, further comprising:

applying a first fatigue resistant conductive bus on the first corrugated electrode;

applying a second fatigue resistant conductive bus on a second corrugated electrode; and

applying a first encapsulation layer over the first fatigue resistant conductive bus;

applying a second encapsulation layer over the second fatigue resistant conductive bus;

wherein the fatigue resistant conductive bus is made of a conductive ink comprising carbon.