DOI: 10.1051/jp1:1997209
J. Phys. I France 7 (1997) 909-919
Dynamics and Thermodynamics of Artificial Muscles Based on Nematic Gels
M. Hébert, R. Kant and P.-G. de GennesLaboratoire de Physique de la Matière Condensée URA-CNRS n$^{\circ}$ 792, Collège de France, 11 Place Marcelin-Berthelot, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France
(Received 2 December 1996, revised 11 March 1997, accepted le 13 March 1997)
Abstract
A scheme based on nemato-mechanical conversion has been proposed for potential artificial muscle applications (de Gennes P.-G.,
Hébert M. and Kant R., to appear in Macromol. Symp. (1996)). As the temperature in a nematic gel is reduced through the transition
temperature, strong uniaxial deformation is encountered. We briefly expose the dynamics of contraction/elongation in this
system. Work and dissipative losses are calculated for an operating cycle to get an approximative expression of the ratio
work/losses, which can then be compared with real muscular efficiencies.
© Les Editions de Physique 1997