Recent advances in the fabrication techniques have enabled the production of different types of polymer sensors and actuators that can be utilized in a wide range of applications, such as soft robotics, biomedical, smart textiles and energy harvesting. Functional polymers possess dynamic physical and chemical properties, which make them suitable candidates for sensing and actuating tasks in response to external stimuli, such as radiation, temperature, chemical reaction, external force, magnetic and electric fields. This book focuses on the recent advancements in the modeling and analysis of functional polymer systems.

Written by pioneers in the field, this book covers optical, gas, taste, and other sensing systems using various kinds of polymers. It provides all the necessary background information and science to develop a basic understanding of the field, its supporting technologies, and current applications.

The book exhaustively covers the various polymers that are used for sensors and actuators from the perspective of organic chemistry. The field of polymeric sensors and actuators is developing very rapidly as newly derived polymer materials are suitable for sensor technology. This book uniquely and comprehensively covers the various polymers that are used for sensors and actuators. The author has researched both scientific papers and patents to include all the recent discoveries and applications. Since many chemists may not be very familiar with the physical background as well as how sensors operate, Polymeric Sensors and Actuators includes a general chapter dealing with the overall physics and basic principles of sensors. Complementary chapters on their methods of fabrication as well as the processing of data are included. The actuators sections examine the fields of applications, special designs, and materials. The final chapter is dedicated to liquid crystal displays. The book concludes with four extensive indices including one special one on analytes to allow the practitioner to easily use the text. This comprehensive text examines the following sensor types: Humidity Sensors Biosensors Mechanical Sensors Optical Sensors Surface Plasmon Resonance Test Strips Microelectromechanical (MEMS) Sensors Piezoelectric Sensors Acoustic Wave Sensors Electronic Nose Switchable Polymers

Hydrogels are a fascinating class of polymers which show an immense ability of swelling under the influence of temperature, pH value or concentrations of different species in aqueous solutions. The volume change can amount up to several hundred percent. This unique behaviour is already used in such applications like disposable diapers, contact lenses or drug-delivery systems. The ability to perform mechanical work has been shifted the technical interest more and more towards sensors and actuators exploiting the thermo-chemo-mechano-electrical coupling within hydrogels. The accuracy requirements for such devices are much more demanding than for previous applications. Therefore, a deep knowledge of both the material and the functional properties of hydrogel sensors and actuators is needed. The monograph describes state of the art and recent developments for these materials in sensor and actuator technology.

Polymer films now play an essential and growing role in sensors. Recent advances in polymer science and film preparation have made polymer films useful, practical and economical in a wide range of sensor designs and applications. Further, the continuing miniaturization of microelectronics favors the use of polymer thin films in sensors. This new book is the first comprehensive presentation of this technology. It covers both scientific fundamentals and practical engineering aspects. Included is an extensive survey of all types of sensors and applications. The very detailed table of contents in the next pages provides full information on content. More than 200 schematics illustrate a wide variety of sensor structures and their function.

Adaptive polymers include those which are responsive to different stimuli — namely physical, mechanical, chemical and biological — with controlled and/or predicable behavior. Many technological breakthroughs and scientific advances have been made in the last few decades and this volume aims to cover the most up-to-date studies and achievements in some adaptive polymers, in terms of principles of adaptiveness, properties, structure design and characterization with an emphasis on their applications, particularly in textiles, skin care, medicine and other related areas. Some versatile functional polymers, such as Chitosan, cylodextrin and dendrimer,and hyper-branched polymers are also introduced in order to provide a source for people in different professions when searching for knowledge and inspiration in the field of adaptive and functional polymers. One of the key features of this book is the fact that it is multi-disciplinary in nature, and so accessible to a wide variety of readers.

This book covers the fundamental properties, modeling, and demonstration of Electroactive polymers in robotic applications. It particularly details artificial muscles and sensors. In addition, the book discusses the properties and uses in robotics applications of ionic polymer–metal composite actuators and dielectric elastomers.