# US 9,437,804 B2 · Electroactive polymer structures printed with varying compositions of ions > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,437,804 B2 - Document ID: US9437804B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/966,060 - Filed: 2013-08-13 - Published: 2015-02-19 - Granted: 2016-09-06 - Earliest claimed: 2013-08-13 - Assignees: Palo Alto Research Center Incorporated - Applicants: Palo Alto Research Center Incorporated - Inventors: Tse Nga Ng; Kye-Si Kwon - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9437804B2 ## CPC - H10N 30/2041: {Beam type} - H10N 30/204: {using bending displacement, e.g. unimorph, bimorph or multimorph cantilever or membrane benders} - H10N 30/2043: {connected at their free ends, e.g. parallelogram type} - H10N 30/2044: {having multiple segments mechanically connected in series, e.g. zig-zag type} - H10N 30/857: Macromolecular compositions - Y10T 29/49117: Conductor or circuit manufacturing - H10N: ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION ## Abstract An electroactive polymer structure includes a first flexible electrode, a second flexible electrode, and a polymer dielectric layer with ionic liquid on top of the first electrode including at least two regions. Each region of the polymer dielectric layer includes a different ionic liquid concentration. The polymer dielectric layer is in between the first flexible electrode and the second flexible electrode. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An electroactive polymer structure, comprising: a first flexible electrode including ionic liquid; a second flexible electrode including ionic liquid; and a polymer dielectric layer with ionic liquid including at least two regions, each region having a different ionic liquid concentration, wherein the polymer dielectric layer is in between the first flexible electrode and the second flexible electrode. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The electroactive polymer structure of claim 1, wherein a concentration of ionic liquid in the polymer dielectric layer and electrode layer is between 30% and 150%. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The electoractive polymer structure of claim 1, wherein the electroactive polymer structure is laminated. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The electroactive polymer structure of claim 1, wherein the polymer dielectric layer is a mixture of poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropene) (PVDF-HFP) and an ionic liquid. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The electroactive polymer structure of claim 4, wherein the ionic liquid is 1-ethyl-3-methylimidaxolium tetrafluoroborate (EMI-BF4) or 1-butyl-3-methyl-imidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (BMI-TFSI). ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The electroactive polymer structure of claim 1, wherein the electroactive polymer structure is an actuator. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The electroactive polymer structure of claim 1, wherein the electroactive polymer structure is manufactured using a digital printing process. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The electroactive polymer structure of claim 1, wherein the electroactive polymer structure deforms in response to an input voltage. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The electroactive polymer structure of claim 1, wherein the electroactive polymer structure includes two cantilevers, each cantilever is the region having the different ionic liquid concentration. ### Claim 10 A method of forming an electroactive polymer structure, comprising: forming a first electrode layer by extruding the first flexible electrode layer from a solution of carbon particles with a polymer binder and ionic liquid to form a first flexible electrode layer; forming a second flexible electrode layer by extruding the second flexible electrode layer from a solution of carbon particles with a polymer binder and ionic liquid to form a first flexible electrode layer; and forming a polymer dielectric layer in between the first flexible electrode and the second flexible electrode from a solution mixture of poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropene) (PVDF-HFP) with an ionic liquid, such that the polymer dielectric layer includes two regions, each region having a different ionic liquid concentration. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of forming the electroactive polymer structure of claim 10, further comprising drying each layer at an elevated temperature or in vacuum. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The method of forming the electroactive polymer structure of claim 10, wherein the polymer binder is PVDF-HFP or polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The method of forming the electroactive polymer structure of claim 10, wherein a concentration of the ionic liquid in the polymer dielectric layer is between 30% and 150%. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The method of forming the electroactive polymer structure of claim 10, further comprising laminating the first electrode, the polymer dielectric layer, and the second electrode. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The method of forming the electroactive polymer structure of claim 10, wherein the ionic liquid is 1-ethyl-3-methylimidaxolium tetrafluoroborate (EMI-BF4) or 1-butyl-3-methyl-imidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (BMI-TFSI). ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The method of forming the electroactive polymer structure of claim 10, wherein a concentration of the ionic liquid in the polymer dielectric layer is between 30% and 200%. ### Claim 17 An electroactive polymer structure, comprising: a first flexible electrode structure including: a first top flexible electrode, a first polymer dielectric layer with ionic liquid on top of the first top flexible electrode, and a first bottom flexible electrode on top of the first polymer dielectric layer; and a second flexible electrode structure including: a second top flexible electrode, a second polymer dielectric layer with ionic liquid on top of the second top flexible electrode, and a second bottom flexible electrode on top of the second polymer dielectric layer, wherein the first top flexible electrode is connected to the second bottom flexible electrode through a first via and the second top flexible electrode is connected to the first bottom flexible electrode through a second via, and wherein the electroactive polymer structure deforms into an “S” shape when a bias is applied. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The electroactive polymer structure of claim 17, wherein the first polymer dielectric layer and the second polymer dielectric layer have a different concentration of ionic liquid. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The electroactive polymer structure of claim 17, wherein the first polymer dielectric layer and the second polymer dielectric layer have the same concentration of ionic liquid. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The electroactive polymer structure of claim 17, wherein the polymer dielectric layer is formed of a solution mixture of poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropene) (PVDF-HFP) and ionic liquid.