CAREER: Chemoelectric and Electromechanical Energy Conversion in Ionic Polymer Material Systems

Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University, Blacksburg VA

Investigators

Abstract

This CAREER award will focus on active material systems for power generation, sensing, actuation, and control. The integrated program will combine research in ionic polymer material systems with undergraduate- and graduate-level curriculum development. The hypothesis of this research is that the chemoelectric and electromechanical transduction properties of perfluourinated ion-exchange membranes can be modeled with a unified theory that models ion transport and water transport. The research objectives are: Develop a unified multidimensional model of chemoelectric and electromechanical energy conversion in ionic polymer materials. Determine the physics that limit the response time of ionic polymer materials in beam and plate structures. Correlate these models with experiments on representative material configurations. The educational component of this CAREER plan is the development of a senior-level undergraduate and first-year graduate course entitled, Analysis and Control of Active Material Systems. The course will be based on a topological description of active material systems and will emphasize the five fundamental aspects: sensing, control, actuation, energy storage, and power flow. The impact of this research is the development of a new class of active materials that seamlessly combine energy storage, sensing, and actuation. These new material systems will have application in motion control, noise and vibration suppression, and the development of autonomous biomimetic systems.