A polymer that expands when an electrical charge is introduced into it?

Question

I'm trying to find information on a specific polymer or polymer group that expands or contracts when an electrical charge is put through it.

what i'm actually trying to do is construct a device that needs a small, and effective telescoping rod that expands when intended and is very controlable (that's why I'm ruling out a spring system like in expandable police batons) and i've looked into miniature pneumatic cylinders but they need too many components to work( valves, reservoir, etc.)

thank you,

Answer 1

I'm guessing that you will not find the range you need.

Look up under "piezo" or piezoelectric.

My guess is that if it expands in one direction, there must be a contraction in the other.

Depending on your geometry, consider concentric cylinders, such as worm drive. Rotate one relative to the other with a motor somewhere (stepper?) & telescopic.

I heard that some camera zooms are really cunning in simply changing the drive frequency to get a mechanism to change direction.  If you have sophisticated machining in mind, might want to check that out (& maybe the patents)

Otherwise, it's hard to beat cunning mechanical design, like worm gears.  IN any good mechanical engineering library, you'll find old books full of cunning mechanisms.  Worth a browse.

Again, depending on your requirements, pneumatics can be a pain if you cannot cope with the bounce, compressibility.