A New Approach to Improve IPMC Performance for Sensing Dynamic Deflection: Sensor Biasing

This paper presents a new approach to improve the performance of IPMC-based sensors as reliable deflection sensors. Theoretical and experimental responses of an IPMC sensor strip were investigated when it was being biased by an AC electrical signal source. Using an especially-designed experimental setup, the sensitivity, linearity, and stability of the biased sensor were analyzed under different deflection angles. Moreover, the impact of frequency and amplitude of the bias signal, the influence of internal impedance of the bias signal source, and the effect of mechanical deflection frequency and angle on the performance of the IPMC sensor were studied. Theoretical and experimental results indicated that it would be possible to greatly improve the sensitivity (446.5 times) and stability (24.4 times) of an IPMC deflection sensor by applying an appropriate electrical bias signal.