The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 05, 2009
Filed:
Apr. 25, 2008
Zoubeida Ounaies, College Station, TX (US);
Cheol Park, Yorktown, VA (US);
Joycelyn S. Harrison, Hampton, VA (US);
Nancy M. Holloway, White Marsh, VA (US);
Gregory K. Draughon, Hampton, VA (US);
Zoubeida Ounaies, College Station, TX (US);
Cheol Park, Yorktown, VA (US);
Joycelyn S. Harrison, Hampton, VA (US);
Nancy M. Holloway, White Marsh, VA (US);
Gregory K. Draughon, Hampton, VA (US);
Abstract
An electroactive sensing or actuating material comprises a composite made from a polymer with polarizable moieties and an effective amount of carbon nanotubes incorporated in the polymer for a predetermined electromechanical operation of the composite when such composite is affected by an external stimulus. In another embodiment, the composite comprises a third component of micro-sized to nano-sized particles of an electroactive ceramic that is also incorporated in the polymer matrix. The method for making the three-phase composite comprises either incorporating the carbon nanotubes in the polymer matrix before incorporation of the particles of ceramic or mixing the carbon nanotubes and particles of ceramic together in a solution before incorporation in the polymer matrix.