An advanced finite element model of IPMC

Abstract

This paper presents an electro-mechanical Finite Element Model of an ionic polymer-metal composite (IPMC) material. Mobile counter ions inside the polymer are drifted by an applied electric field, causing mass imbalance inside the material. This is the main cause of the bending motion of this kind of materials. All foregoing physical effects have been considered as time dependent and modeled with FEM. Time dependent mechanics is modeled with continuum mechanics equations. The model also considers the fact that there is a surface of platinum on both sides of the polymer backbone. The described basic model has been under developement for a while and has been improved over the time. Simulation comparisons with experimental data have shown good harmony. Our previous paper described most of the basic model. Additionally, the model was coupled with equations, which described self-oscillatory behavior of the IPMC material. It included describing electrochemical processes with additional four differential equations. The Finite Element Method turned out to be very reasonable for coupling together and solving all equations as a single package. We were able to achieve reasonably precise model to describe this complicated phenomenon. Our most recent goal has been improving the basic model. Studies have shown that some electrical parameters of an IPMC, such as surface resistance and voltage drop are dependent on the curvature of the IPMC. Therefore the new model takes surface resistance into account to some extent. It has added an extra level of complexity to the model, because now all simulations are done in three dimensional domain. However, the result is advanced visual and numerical behavior of an IPMC with different surface characteristics.