Microactuators based on conducting polymers

In this contribution we report the use of polyaniline and polypyrrole for miniaturized actuators fabricated by microstructural and electrochemical technologies. The potential necessary to drive the actuator is typically less than 1 V, i.e. 2-3 orders of magnitude lower than that necessary for the widespread piezoelectric actuator devices. This low voltage is imperative for future application of actuators of micrometer dimensions. The volume variation of polymers substantially exceeds that of piezoelectric materials. Different contributions to the actuator characteristics are discussed and evaluated semi-quantitatively.