Biomedical Applications Of Electroactive Polymer Actuators

Giving fundamental information on one of the most promising families of smart materials, electroactive polymers (EAP) this exciting new titles focuses on the several biomedical applications made possible by these types of materials and their related actuation technologies. Each chapter provides a description of the specific EAP material and device configuration used, material processing, device assembling and testing, along with a description of the biomedical application. Edited by well-respected academics in the field of electroactive polymers with contributions from renowned international experts, this is an excellent resource for industrial and academic research scientists, engineers, technicians and graduate students working with polymer actuators or in the fields of polymer science.

Covers the field of EAP with attention to all aspects and full infrastructure, including the available materials, analytical models, processing techniques, and characterization methods. This second edition covers advances in EAP in electric EAP, electroactive polymer gels, ionomeric polymer-metal composites, and carbon nanotube actuators.

Electroactive polymers are smart materials that can undergo size or shape structural deformations in the presence of an electrical field. These lightweight polymeric materials possess properties such as flexibility, cost-effectiveness, rapid response time, easy controllability (especially physical to electrical), and low power consumption. Electroactive Polymeric Materials examines the history, progress, synthesis, and characterization of electroactive polymers and then details their application and potential in fields including biomedical science, environmental remediation, renewable energy, robotics, sensors and textiles. Highlighting the flexibility, lightweight, cost-effective, rapid response time, easy controllability, and low power consumption characteristics of electroactive polymers, respected authors in the field explore their use in sensors, actuators, MEMS, biomedical apparatus, energy storage, packaging, textiles, and corrosion protection to provide readers with a powerhouse of a reference to use for their own endeavors. Features: Explores the most recent advances in all categories of ionic/electroactive polymer composite materials Includes basic science, addresses novel topics, and covers multifunctional applications in one resource Suitable for newcomers, academicians, scientists and R&D industrial experts working in polymer technologies .

This book covers the fundamental properties, modeling, and demonstration of Electroactive polymers in robotic applications. It particularly details artificial muscles and sensors. In addition, the book discusses the properties and uses in robotics applications of ionic polymer–metal composite actuators and dielectric elastomers.

With its content taken from only the very latest results, this is an extensive summary of the various polymeric materials used for biomedical applications. Following an introduction listing various functional polymers, including conductive, biocompatible and conjugated polymers, the book goes on to discuss different synthetic polymers that can be used, for example, as hydrogels, biochemical sensors, functional surfaces, and natural degradable materials. Throughout, the focus is on applications, with worked examples for training purposes as well as case studies included. The whole is rounded off with a look at future trends.

This book is written for leading edge engineers and researchers, working with non-traditional or smart material based actuators, to help them develop such real world biomedical applications. Electrical, mechanical, mechatronics and control systems engineers will all benefit from the different techniques described in this book. The book may also serve as a reference for advanced research focused undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Biomedical Technology and Devices, Second Edition focuses on the equipment, devices, and techniques used in modern medicine to diagnose, treat, and monitor human illnesses. Gathering together and compiling the latest information available on medical technology, this revised work adds ten new chapters. It starts with the basics, introducing the history of the thermometer and measuring body temperature, before moving on to a medley of devices that are far more complex. This book explores diverse technological functions and procedures including signal processing, auditory systems, magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasonic and emission imaging, image-guided thermal therapy, medical robotics, shape memory alloys, biophotonics, and tissue engineering. Each chapter offers a description of the technique, its technical considerations, and its use according to its applications and relevant body systems. It can be used as a professional resource, as well as a textbook for undergraduate and graduate students.

Nanoscale structures and materials have been explored in many biological applications because of their novel and impressive physical and chemical properties. Such properties allow remarkable opportunities to study and interact with complex biological processes. This book analyses the state of the art of piezoelectric nanomaterials and introduces their applications in the biomedical field. Despite their impressive potentials, piezoelectric materials have not yet received significant attention for bio-applications. This book shows that the exploitation of piezoelectric nanoparticles in nanomedicine is possible and realistic, and their impressive physical properties can be useful for several applications, ranging from sensors and transducers for the detection of biomolecules to “sensible” substrates for tissue engineering or cell stimulation.