PROJECT TITLE : Large Area Piezoelectric Coating for Smart Aerospace Systems
TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
We propose to develop a new class of piezoelectric polymer materials. These piezoelectric materials will be distinguished by their inherent ability to show the piezoelectric effect without external processing steps such as poling and film drawing. The inherent properties of the material will make it possible to use the polymer as a coating material which will allow additional applications to become feasible. Our technical approach combines molecular self-assembly of rod-coils to produce a piezoelectric polymer coating of high molecular weight. This material is expected to have properties which are similar to both existing polymer and ceramic piezoelectrics. The molecular self-assembly concept circumnavigates many of the morphology based problems inherent in semicrystalline polymers which reduce their theoretical piezoelectric response significantly. In addition, our technology can be tailored in its chemical functionality to promote such features as adhesion to metals or polymers, environmental stability, or strong piezoelectric response in or out of the plane of the coating depending on the application.POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The proposed inherently piezoelectric polymer will provide NASA with a piezoelectric coating material that can be tailored to withstand the extreme environments experienced in aerospace applications. This technology will have strong commercial potential in applications such as switches, tactile sensors, biosensors, acoustic instruments, micropositioners, and other applications where a piezoelectric coating could be advantageous.NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Dr. Patricia Wilson, Project EngineerNAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR
Foster-Miller, Inc.,
350 Second Avenue,
Waltham, MA 02154-1196
Foster-Miller, Inc.,
350 Second Avenue,
Waltham, MA 02154-1196