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Polymer Gels as EAPs: Fundamentals

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Electromechanically Active Polymers

Part of the book series: Polymers and Polymeric Composites: A Reference Series ((POPOC))

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Abstract

Smart hydrogels are soft polymer particles that swell and deswell by taking up water according to external stimuli. After a general introduction, we extensively discuss the thermodynamics that governs the swelling equilibrium of neutral and polyelectrolyte gels. The kinetics of gel swelling is then presented in two models: The Tanaka-Fillmore model that is based on pure mechanics and the more advanced model by Doi which includes thermodynamic processes as the reason for swelling and deswelling. In the following section, the possible sensitivities with which smart hydrogels have been equipped are discussed. Finally we outline the current challenges of fabricating hydrogels with improved mechanical properties.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Some authors use the Gibbs free energy \( G \) which results in a completely equivalent description, since both external pressure and total volume of the system are considered constant.

  2. 2.

    These values are calculated from the values given in Hirotsu’s paper, who states them in a different shape based on the chemical potential.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Bernhard Ferse for fruitful discussions about the thermodynamics of hydrogels and inhomogeneous networks. This work was supported by the German Research Foundation (DFG) within the cluster of excellence “Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden” and by the European Social Fund.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Semiconductors and Microsystems, Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Dresden University of Technology and Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden, 01062, Dresden, Germany

    Andreas Voigt & Andreas Richter

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  1. Andreas Voigt
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Correspondence to Andreas Voigt .

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  1. School Engineering & Materials Science, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom

    Federico Carpi

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Voigt, A., Richter, A. (2016). Polymer Gels as EAPs: Fundamentals. In: Carpi, F. (eds) Electromechanically Active Polymers. Polymers and Polymeric Composites: A Reference Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31767-0_1-1

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