Electrostrictive microelectromechanical fibres and textiles

Tural Khudiyev, Jefferson Clayton, Etgar Levy, Noémie Chocat, Alexander Gumennik, Alexander M. Stolyarov, John Joannopoulos and Yoel Fink ()
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Tural Khudiyev: Research Laboratory of Electronics (RLE), Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Jefferson Clayton: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Etgar Levy: Research Laboratory of Electronics (RLE), Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Noémie Chocat: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Alexander Gumennik: Research Laboratory of Electronics (RLE), Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Alexander M. Stolyarov: Lincoln Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
John Joannopoulos: Research Laboratory of Electronics (RLE), Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Yoel Fink: Research Laboratory of Electronics (RLE), Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Nature Communications, 2017, vol. 8, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) enable many modern-day technologies, including actuators, motion sensors, drug delivery systems, projection displays, etc. Currently, MEMS fabrication techniques are primarily based on silicon micromachining processes, resulting in rigid and low aspect ratio structures. In this study, we report on the discovery of MEMS functionality in fibres, thereby opening a path towards flexible, high-aspect ratio, and textile MEMS. The method used for generating these MEMS fibres leverages a preform-to-fibre thermal drawing process, in which the MEMS architecture and materials are embedded into a preform and drawn into kilometers of microstructured multimaterial fibre devices. The fibre MEMS functionality is enabled by an electrostrictive P(VDF-TrFE-CFE) ferrorelaxor terpolymer layer running the entire length of the fibre. Several modes of operation are investigated, including thickness-mode actuation with over 8% strain at 25 MV m−1, bending-mode actuation due to asymmetric positioning of the electrostrictive layer, and resonant fibre vibration modes tunable under AC-driving conditions.

Date: 2017
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-01558-5

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