Materials Transactions Online

Materials Transactions, Vol.51 No.05 (2010) pp.994-1001
© 2010 The Japan Institute of Metals

Reversible Bending Motion of Unimorph Composites Driven by Combining LaNi5 Alloy Powders Dispersed Polyurethane and Thin Supporting Copper Sheet under Partial Hydrogen Gas Pressure

Junya Okawa1, Masae Kanda2, Kaori Yuse2, Haru-Hisa Uchida3, Daniel Guyomar2 and Yoshitake Nishi1,2

1Department of Metallurgical Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokai University, Hiratsuka 259-1292, Japan
2Laboratoire de Génie Electrique et Ferroélectricité (LGEF), Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Lyon (INSA Lyon), 69621 Villeurbanne Cedex-France
3Department of Human Developments, Tokai University, Hiratsuka 259-1292, Japan

The polyurethane composites dispersed with powders mixture of LaNi5 hydrogen storage alloy (35 vol% of LaNi5) and Pd-Al2O3 catalyst powders were prepared by solution cast method, which easily controlled the shape and mixed ratio of the composites. In order to generate the bending strain of reversible up motions at vertical and horizontal directions, the unimorph (PU+LaNi5/Cu) sheet constructed with the driving polyurethane composite and supporting copper thin sheet of 10 μm thickness with high specific stiffness (apparent hardening modulus per specific weight) was prepared.
Although the bending motion of the unimorph sheet operated by hydrogenation under 0.3 MPa H2 gas was irreversible, the reversible motion was detected under 0.2 MPa H2 gas. The maximum strain of reversible bending motion (εmax) of the PU+LaNi5/Cu sheet is more than 1520 and 1120 ppm on vertical and horizontal directions, respectively. The εmax of the PU+LaNi5/Cu sheet at vertical direction was slightly higher than that of the ABS resin unimorph (ABS+LaNi5/ABS) sheet constructed with the driving ABS resin composites and pure ABS resin supporting sheet, whereas it was slightly lower than that of the silicone rubber unimorph (SR+LaNi5/SR) sheet constructed with the driving silicone rubber composites and pure silicone rubber supporting sheet. It can be estimated that the responsiveness (dε/dt) of cyclic motion of the (PU+LaNi5/Cu) sheet is slightly higher than ABS+LaNi5/ABS sheet.

(Received 2009/12/18; Accepted 2010/2/4; Published 2010/3/25)

Keywords: hydrogen storage alloy, polyurethane, reversible motion, unimorph composite, mover composites, catalyst, smart materials

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