The properties of Electro Active Polymers are being extensively employed in Microfluidic systems. The systems are also used in other domains including robotics and healthcare. The stimuli response property is also used to fabricate drug delivery systems.
EAPs are typically materials that exhibit a change in shape or size on the application of an external stimulus. These substances have the ability to sustain large forces and are highly flexible. These properties encourage the application of this material in the fabrication of robotic arms because of which EAPs are also known as artificial muscles.
Some of the most common downstream industries that make use of EAPs include industrial segments that fabricate actuators, sensors, and electrostatic plastics. An actuator is also known as a mover. This is due to its functionality as a device that causes a machine or other devices to operate. EAPs could sense the change in atmosphere and hence generate a response that in turn feeds commands to the actuator. Actuators are commonly used in manufacturing units, they control automatic functions like opening and closing of a valve. In the case of sensor-based systems, the material exhibits a response on coming in contact with a stimuli. The stimuli induced response associated with the material promotes its usage in sectors like healthcare, research, and laboratory analysis.
In terms of the product life cycle, electroactive polymers market is in its growth stage. Therefore, a wide array of research and unexplored avenues are yet to be experienced by this market. The expanding research-based infrastructure serves as one of the key factors that boost the growth associated with this market.
EAP can be molded in several shapes and sizes. This is due to the ease of processing polymeric materials. The versatility associated with the substance is another factor that fosters the growth of this market. The market has a wide value chain based on which the applications of this sector have been determined. EAP plays a substantial role in its downstream industries thus modulating its compounded growth. The technology has been optimizing processes and increasing efficiency with respect to the existing technology. Other markets like coatings, energy, and smart materials have also been contributing to the growth associated with this market. Markets like electronics and automotive have also been adding to the demand margin of this material.
Amongst EAPs conductive polymers are expected to be the fastest-growing segment. These materials are majorly used in the design of actuators. Conductive polymers have properties like enhanced transparency, environmental stability, and high processibility that encourage its use within the market.
Chemical Market Forecast covers some of the applications and verticals associated with the EAPs market. The functionality of this material based on technological advancements have been discussed. The platform focuses on providing a holistic view of the market. The Electroactive polymer prices are highly reliant on the dynamics associated with this market. Moreover, the value chain and the downstream industries that make use of electroactive polymers have been discussed through Chemical Market Forecast.
Artificial Muscles:
EAPs can emulate the operation of biological muscles. They have a high fracture toughness and a large value of actuation strain. The inherent vibration-damping associated with this material serves as a fascinating subject for researchers. Hence increased funding has been provided to this stream of research-based studies. This equipment has the ability to emerge as a highly disruptive innovation due to the high flexibility, versatility, and robustness as compared to traditional rigid muscles.
This technology contributes to markets such as medicine, robotics, etc. This system can also be used in industrial applications to generate highly autonomous processes on integration with technologies like AI. Therefore, Artificial Muscles acts as one of the key electroactive polymer applications.
Tactile Displays:
EAPs are employed in refreshable Braille display technology. This segment emerged as a means to aid visually impaired people. The system allows visually challenged individuals to read fast through computer-assisted communication. The base concept for this tool is the use of an EAP actuator in an array form. The system makes use of computer-controlled dots that are activated to create tactile patterns of highs and lows that represents information that can be read.
The visual and tactile impressions are displayed by an artificial skin. These monolithic devices consist of an array of thousands of multimodal modulators (actuator pixels) based on stimuli-responsive hydrogels.
Electroactive Polymers and Microfluid Technology:
Microfluid system serves as a field with huge potential with respect to the EAP pipeline technology. This material can be employed in drug delivery systems. The safety associated with the therapeutic response can be studied with the help of the stimuli induced by the material. The material can also be used in microfluidic technology, i.e. behavior, precise control, and manipulation of geometrically constrained fluids. For this technology, the surface forces supersede the volumetric forces.
Another key tool that allows the application of EAPs in microfluid technology includes the lab-on-a-chip model. It integrates singular or multiple laboratory functions on a single integrated chip. According to industry professionals, the microfluid technology is highly based on the stimuli-responsive gel segment of this market. The design of micropumps, micro vales as well as inomeric materials can be classified under this segment. Pumps composed of inomeric materials have the ability to facilitate low voltage operations. These systems have a low voice signature and high system efficiency. Therefore, the advent of inomeric pumps opens avenues with respect to design and system based optimization. Another part of the value chain of this market includes the fabrication of optical fiber-based technology. An EAP actuator has the ability to generate displacements that range from micrometers to centimeters. Due to this reason, these substances can be used for static shape correction and jitter suppression. Hence EAP based actuators are used to correct optical aberrations due to atmospheric interference.