The Penn State Research Foundation

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

USA As Represented by Secretary of the Navy

Tektronix, Inc.

Qiming Zhang

Kyounghwan Choi

Qing Wang

Zhongyang Cheng

Haisheng Xu

Vivek Bharti

Qi Cheng Li

Thomas R Shrout

Thomas S Ramotowski

James P Runt

Hue Phuoc Le

Shizhuo Yin

Jon C Mutton

Jiping Cheng

Ronald L Adams

L Eric Cross

Baojin Chu

George J Kavarnos

Karl Martin Reichard

Lee Gorny

Changkyu Jeong

Yue Zhou

Bret P Neese

Yingying Lu

Paul Kurtz

Yash Thakur

Sheng-Guo Lu

Hongyu Liu

Xinyu Li

Yong Zhang

Tian Zhang

Qiyue Chia Jiang

Xin Zhou

Bret Neese

A kinetic energy harvester includes a P-type hydrogel composite electrode; an N-type hydrogel composite electrode; a separator disposed between the P-type hydrogel composite electrode and the N-type hydrogel composite electrode; and a current collector between the P-type hydrogel composite electrode and the N-type composite electrode.

Low frequency kinetic energy harvester

Dielectric capacitors including dielectric compositions with high dielectric constant, low dielectric loss, and high thermal stability are disclosed. The dielectric compositions can include a dipolar polymer having a high glass transition temperature (e.g., T&#x3e;150&#xb0; C.) in combination with either (i) another dipolar polymer having a high glass transition temperature (e.g., T&#x2265;150&#xb0; C.) in the form of a blend, or (ii) the dipolar polymer with an inorganic interfacial agent volume content less than 2 vol % in the dielectric composition.

Thin film capacitors

An energy harvesting device includes: a first nanoporous electrode and a second nanoporous electrode, each of which is configured to which store electrical charge; a first current collector connected to the first nanoporous electrode and a second current collector connected to the second nanoporous electrode; and an enclosure that contains the first and second nanoporous electrodes and the first and second current collectors and transfers a force applied from the outside to the first nanoporous electrode and the second nanoporous electrode, wherein at least one of the first nanoporous electrode and the second nanoporous electrode comprises an ion conductive polymer.

Energy harvesting device using electroactive polymer nanocomposites

Cooling devices (i.e., refrigerators or heat pumps) based on polymers which exhibit a temperature change upon application or removal of an electrical field or voltage, (e.g., fluoropolymers or crosslinked fluoropolymers that exhibit electrocaloric effect).

Polymer-based electrocaloric cooling devices

The present invention is a new class of terpolymers for use as high strain electrostrictive polymer films. More particularly, the invention is a class of electrostrictive terpolymers comprising vinylidene fluoride (VDF), trifluoroethylene (TrFE) and at least one monomer having at least one halogen atom side group. The monomer is preferably an ethylene-based monomer and preferably selected to favor gauche-type linkage along the polymer backbone. The halogen atom side group is preferably large enough to move or cause adjacent polymer chains to be farther apart from or away from each other than in the absence of such side group, but not so large that it would inhibit polymer crystallites from forming. The monomer is preferably a chloro-monomer such as chlorofluoroethylene (CFE). The chlorofluoroethylene (CFE) is preferably 1-chloro-2-fluoroethylene or 1-chloro-1-fluoroethylene. The chlorofluoroethylene (CFE) favors gauche-type linkage which favors high electrostrictive strains.

High strain electrostrictive polymer

There are disclosed new composite materials having improved electric field induced strain levels, improved electric constants, and having advantageous mechanical properties for use in electrical devices.

High dielectric constant composites of metallophthalaocyanine oligomer and poly(vinylidene-trifluoroethylene) copolymer

There are disclosed new polymer materials having improved electric field induced strain levels, dielectric constants, and elastic energy densities for use in electromechanical and dielectric applications. Methods of manufacture of new polymer materials are also disclosed.

Terpolymer systems for electromechanical and dielectric applications

The invention is embodied in an electrical device which includes at least a layer of a ferroelectric polyvinylidine flouride polymer that has been processed to exhibit an electrostrictive strain of 4% or more when an electric field gradient of 50 megavolts per meter or greater is applied thereacross. The processing of the polymer preferably involves subjecting it to either electron beam radiation or gamma radiation. The polyvinylidine flouride polymer is selected from the group of: polyvinylidine fluoride, polyvinylidine fluoride-trifluoroethylene P(VDF-TrFE), polyvinylidine fluoride tetrafluoroethylene P(VDF-TFE), polyvinylidine fluoride trifluoroethylene-hexafluoropropylene P(VDF-TFE-HFE) and polyvinylidine fluoride-hexafluoropropylene P(VDF-HFE).

Ferroelectric relaxor polymer method

An optical filter that is tunable over a wide portion of the spectrum, such as the infrared portion. The filter has a core of silica fiber with a first cladding layer of silica fiber disposed thereon. A long period grating is disposed on the core. A second electro-optical cladding layer is disposed on the first cladding layer. The first cladding layer is ultra thin so as to support only a single resonant band over the spectral portion. The resonant band is tunable to different wavelengths in the spectral portion by a voltage applied to the second electro-optic layer. The electro-optic layer is a copolymer that has a refractive index less than that of the silica fiber material. The optical filter has fast tuning speed (nanosecond range), wide tuning range (>50 nm), low insertion loss (<0.1 dB), narrow bandwidth (<0.5 nm), and low sidelobe (<30 dB).

Single resonant band, tunable optical fiber wavelength filter based on long-period fiber grating

The invention is embodied in an electrical device which includes at least a layer of a ferroelectric polyvinylidine fluoride polymer that has been processed to exhibit an electrostrictive strain of 4% or more when an electric field gradient of 50 megavolts per meter or greater is applied thereacross. The processing of the polymer preferably involves subjecting it to either electron beam radiation or gamma radiation. The polyvinylidine flouride polymer is selected from the group of: polyvinylidine fluoride, polyvinylidine fluoride-trifluoroethylene P(VDF-TrFE), polyvinylidine fluoride tetrafluoroethylene P(VDF-TFE), polyvinylidine fluoride trifluoroethylene-hexafluoropropylene P(VDF-TFE-HFE) and polyvinylidine fluoride-hexafluoropropylene P(VDF-HFE).

Ferroelectric relaxer polymers

A ferroelectric relaxor ceramic actuator material, such as lead magnesium niobate ('PMN'), has high electromechanical conversion efficiency, exhibits wide operating and manufacturing temperature ranges, does not require permanent polarization, and provides useful mechanical activity with reduced electrical drive voltages. A PMN actuator (66) may be bonded to an actuator diaphragm (64) with a high temperature soldering or brazing process. PMN material also has a diffuse Curie point range in which the dielectric constant (40), 'd' coefficient (32), and dielectric loss (42) characteristics all rise to a peak and then fall as the temperature increases. A phase-change ink-jet print head (50) employs a PMN actuator that is compounded with lead titanate ('PT') to increase the temperature (T.sub.M) at which the peak dielectric constant occurs. The print head is operated at a temperature beyond the peak where the PMN:PT actuator 'd' coefficient decreases as the temperature increases such that an increase in ink-jet drop ejection velocity caused by reduced ink viscosity is compensated for by a corresponding reduction in mechanical activity. The PMN:PT actuator thereby relaxes the temperature regulation and heat spreading requirements of the phase-change ink-jet print head.

Ferroelectric relaxor actuator for an ink-jet print head

Growing community of inventors

State College, PA, United States of America

Qiming Zhang