Characterization and modeling of compliant active materials

Active materials respond mechanically to changes in environmental conditions. One example of a compliant active material is a polymer gel. Active polymer gels expand and contract in response to certain environmental stimuli, such as the application of an electric field or a change in the pH level of the surroundings. This ability to achieve large, reversible deformations with no external mechanical loading has generated much interest in the use of these gels as actuators and "artificial muscles". While much work has been done to study the behavior and properties of these gels, little information is available regarding the full constitutive description of the mechanical and actuation properties. This work focuses on developing a means of characterizing the mechanical properties of compliant active materials. A thermodynamically consistent finite-elastic constitutive model was developed to describe the mechanical and actuation behaviors of these kinds of materials. The mechanical properties of compliant active materials are characterized by a free-energy function, and the model utilizes an evolving internal variable to describe the actuation state. A biaxial testing system has been developed which can measure stresses and deformations of polymer gel films in a variety of liquid environments. This testing system is used to determine the form and parameters of the free-energy function for a specific active polymer gel, poly(vinyl alcohol)-poly(acrylic acid) gel.