Fabrication and characterization of an ionic polymer-metal composite bending sensor

A bending sensor was fabricated with ionic polymer-metal composite (IPMC) and its characteristics as a sensor was studied. The IPMC senor, made by stacking a few Nafion films and water-proofed by Parylene coating, was robust and stable enough to be operated over 5 h in the air. Through the experiments examining the relation between the sensor signal and the deformation of the sensor, the output voltage of the sensor appeared to be linearly proportional to the curvature of the sensor. The proportional relation was maintained in the more realistic conditions like when the sensor is surface-mounted on the static and dynamic fingerjoint. The sensor signal was not affected by the sensor size change in length, width and thickness within the range we tested. Through the reliability tests the IPMC sensor was characterized to be inferior to mechanical sensors in accuracy and precision, and superior in sensitivity and resolution.[graphic not available: see fulltext]