Design and Structural Optimization of IPMC-based Driving Diaphragm for Application in Micro-pump

Four types of ionic polymer-metal composite（IPMC）-based diaphragms with disc,S,strip,and sector shapes,were designed for fabricating micro water pump.A series of IPMC-based cantilever actuators were prepared,and their actuation displacements were determined by a laser displacement sensor.Using ANSYS software,some parameters of a pump such as withdrawal volume and working pressure were simulated by changing the radius,thickness,and shape of IPMC diaphragm and driven voltage,and the related bending moments were calculated.Results show that,comparing with the other three kinds of diaphragms,the sector-shaped diaphragm have the largest withdrawal volume.With the diaphragm radius increasing,the withdrawal volume increases;with the diaphragm thickness increasing,the working pressure increases;with the driven voltage increasing,both the withdrawal volume and the working pressure increase.