Contribution of Electrostriction in Polyurethane/Polyaniline Blends

Abstract

In this work, we present a series of electrostrictive polymer blend that can potentially be used as actuators for a variety of applications. This polymer blend combines an electrostrictive polyurethane with a conductivity polyaniline polymer. The effect of filler content has been investigated. The structures of the blends, the electrical and mechanical properties which affect electrostrictive behavior were studied. The results showed that both dielectric constant and glass transition temperature of the blends increase with increasing polyaniline contents. Moreover, it was noted that space charges distribution and hard-segment domain formation significantly related with electrostrictive coefficient of polymer blend. Therefore, electrostriction behavior in the polymer blends has been demonstrated, and optimal microstructure for electrostriction enhancement has been identified.