Generic ANR 2015 - Micro-TIP
Consortium
The Microsystem project including transducers based on Interpenetrating Polymer Networks (Micro-TIP) is a funding of the 2015 call for generic projects of the ANR. It brings together a consortium made up of three academic partners: the IEMN laboratory (University of Lille, project leader), the LISV laboratory and the LPPI laboratory (University of Cergy-Pontoise).
Scientific Objectives
In this project, we are interested in electroactive polymers which have the particularity of being usable both as a sensor and as an atuor. The main objective of Micro-TIP is to demonstrate the possibility of fabricating micro-structures which retain the properties observed at macro scale. To achieve this result, certain scientific challenges were revealed :
- ensure that the performance obtained at a macroscopic scale is also guaranteed at a microscopic scale;
- characterize the micro structures at two different scales;
- ensure that the manufacturing process is compatible with the methods used for MEMS in order to offer innovative structures on a microscopic scale;
- offer a micro-gripper with three fingers controllable in closed loop to demonstrate the relevance of these materials in micro-robotics.
Impacts
We have demonstrated, despite the change of scale made, that it is possible to retain interesting properties in actuator and sensor mode. Remarkably, the manufactured structures operate in the open air, for low voltages and the electrodes are integrated from the manufacturing process. Dedicated electronics have been proposed as part of a joint supervision between the National Central University (NCU) in Taiwan and the LISV.