PEDOT/PSS bending actuators for autofocus micro lens applications

This paper reports on the development of micro autofocus lens actuators using conducting polymer actuators. We propose a hydrophilic treatment for polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) membranes and a polyethylenedioxythiophene/poly(styrene sulfonic acid) (PEDOT/PSS) casting method for easily producing bending conducting polymer actuators with high mechanical strength. We first designed micro autofocus lens actuators using bending conducting polymer actuators, and then determined experimentally that the electrical conductivity and breaking strain of the PEDOT/PSS films could be improved by the addition of polyethylene oxide (PEO). Furthermore, we made hydrophobic PVDF membrane surfaces hydrophilic using polyethylene glycol methacrylate (PEGMA) and coated a solution of a mixture of PEDOT/PSS and PEO on the membrane surfaces to form a laminated film. We produced bending conducting polymer actuators by processing this film. Tests simulating the actuator's use in micro autofocus lenses showed the actuators to operate stably for more than a million cycles.