阅读说明：本技术 柔性体及控制其发生形变的方法 (Flexible body and method for controlling deformation of flexible body ) 是由 孙晓午 鲁俊祥 黄杰 王建树 祝培涛 张亚娇 陈婷 胡松 于 2019-01-02 设计创作，主要内容包括：提供了一种柔性体及控制该柔性体发生形变的方法。柔性体包括一个或多个柔性单元,每个柔性单元包括：第一电极、第二电极、电活性聚合物层,以及薄膜晶体管,所述薄膜晶体管的源极或漏极与所述第二电极电连接。第一电极和第二电极被配置成提供作用于所述电活性聚合物层的电场,所述电活性聚合物层被配置成响应于所述第一电极和所述第二电极提供的电场而发生形变。该柔性体可应用于机器人、义肢、按摩椅等设备,有利于简化设备的结构,提升设备的灵活度。(A flexible body and a method for controlling deformation of the flexible body are provided. The flexible body comprises one or more flexible units, each flexible unit comprising: the thin film transistor comprises a first electrode, a second electrode, an electroactive polymer layer and a thin film transistor, wherein a source electrode or a drain electrode of the thin film transistor is electrically connected with the second electrode. The first and second electrodes are configured to provide an electric field that acts on the electroactive polymer layer, which is configured to deform in response to the electric field provided by the first and second electrodes. The flexible body can be applied to equipment such as robots, artificial limbs, massage chairs and the like, and is beneficial to simplifying the structure of the equipment and improving the flexibility of the equipment.)

1. A flexible body comprising one or more flexible units, each of the flexible units comprising: the thin film transistor comprises a first electrode, a second electrode, an electroactive polymer layer and a thin film transistor, wherein a source electrode or a drain electrode of the thin film transistor is electrically connected with the second electrode;

wherein the first and second electrodes are configured to provide an electric field acting on the electroactive polymer layer, the electroactive polymer layer being configured to deform in response to the electric field provided by the first and second electrodes.

2. The flexible body of claim 1, wherein the first electrode and the second electrode are on the same side of the electroactive polymer layer or the first electrode and the second electrode are on opposite sides of the electroactive polymer layer.

3. The flexible body of claim 1, wherein the electroactive polymer layer comprises an ionic electroactive polymer and the flexible unit further comprises an electrolyte layer in contact with the electroactive polymer layer.

4. The flexible body of claim 3, wherein the electroactive polymer layer comprises N electroactive polymer sublayers, and the electrolyte layer comprises N-1 electrolyte sublayers between two adjacent electroactive polymer sublayers, wherein N is a positive integer greater than 1.

5. The flexible body of claim 3, wherein the electroactive polymer layer comprises M electroactive polymer sublayers, wherein the electrolyte layer comprises M or M +1 electrolyte sublayers, wherein the electrolyte sublayers and the electroactive polymer sublayers are spaced apart, and wherein M is a positive integer.

6. The flexible body according to claim 1, wherein the flexible unit further comprises a first insulating layer covering the thin film transistor, the second electrode is formed on a side of the first insulating layer away from the thin film transistor, a via hole is provided in the first insulating layer, and a source or a drain of the thin film transistor is electrically connected to the second electrode through the via hole.

7. The flexible body of any one of claims 1-6, wherein said flexible unit comprises a thin film transistor array comprised of a plurality of said thin film transistors, a second electrode array comprised of a plurality of said second electrodes, and one or more of said first electrodes; the source electrode or the drain electrode of each thin film transistor in the thin film transistor array is electrically connected with a corresponding second electrode in the second electrode array, and the plurality of second electrodes in the second electrode array are arranged at intervals and respectively correspond to different positions of the electroactive polymer layer.

8. The flexible body of claim 7, wherein one of said first electrodes and at least two of said second electrodes cooperate to provide an electric field acting on said electroactive polymer layer.

9. The flexible body of claim 8, wherein the flexible unit further comprises a data voltage generator configured to be electrically connected to the source or drain of a plurality of thin film transistors in the thin film transistor array to provide a different first voltage to the second electrode.

10. The flexible body according to any of claims 1-9, comprising a plurality of said flexible units, arranged in a direction along the extension of said electroactive polymer layer.

11. The flexible body according to any of claims 1-9, comprising a plurality of said flexible units, which are arranged one above the other in a direction perpendicular to the direction of extension of said electroactive polymer layer.

12. A method of controlling the deformation of the flexible body according to any one of claims 1 to 11, comprising:

supplying a first voltage to a source or a drain of the thin film transistor;

supplying a second voltage to the first electrode;

and changing the first voltage to adjust the electric field acting on the electroactive polymer layer and control the corresponding deformation of the flexible body.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the flexible unit comprises a thin film transistor array comprising a plurality of the thin film transistors, a second electrode array comprising a plurality of the second electrodes, one or more of the first electrodes, and a data voltage generator electrically connected to sources or drains of a plurality of thin film transistors in the thin film transistor array, the method comprising:

providing different first voltages to the plurality of thin film transistors by using the data voltage generator;

supplying the second voltage to the first electrode;

and changing the first voltage provided by the data voltage generator to adjust the electric field acting on the electroactive polymer layer and control the flexible body to deform correspondingly.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the flexible body comprises a plurality of the flexible units, the method comprising:

providing different first voltages to the thin film transistors in the corresponding flexible unit by using a plurality of data voltage generators;

supplying the second voltage to the first electrode;

and changing the first voltage provided by the data voltage generators to adjust the electric field acting on the electroactive polymer layer and control the corresponding deformation of the flexible body.

Technical Field

The invention relates to a flexible body and a method for controlling the deformation of the flexible body.

Background

In recent years, artificial intelligence has become the focus of science and technology worldwide, and various new robots based on artificial intelligence technology are continuously coming out and widely used in industrial production and daily life. In order to realize the walking or local deformation function, the current robots and other similar electric devices usually need to adopt artificial muscles, and therefore need motors or hydraulic systems for control. However, the motor or hydraulic system results in a relatively bulky overall system, limiting flexibility, strength, and overall performance.

Disclosure of Invention

Embodiments of the present invention provide a novel flexible body that includes one or more flexible units. Each flexible unit includes: the thin film transistor comprises a first electrode, a second electrode, an electroactive polymer layer and a thin film transistor, wherein a source electrode or a drain electrode of the thin film transistor is electrically connected with the second electrode, the first electrode and the second electrode are configured to provide an electric field acting on the electroactive polymer layer, and the electroactive polymer layer is configured to deform in response to the electric field provided by the first electrode and the second electrode.

According to some embodiments of the invention, the first electrode and said second electrode are located on the same side of the electroactive polymer layer, or the first electrode and the second electrode are located on both sides of the electroactive polymer layer, respectively.

According to some embodiments of the invention, the electroactive polymer layer comprises an ionic electroactive polymer, and the flexible unit further comprises an electrolyte layer in contact with the electroactive polymer layer.

According to some embodiments of the invention, the electroactive polymer layer comprises N electroactive polymer sublayers, the electrolyte layer comprises N-1 electrolyte sublayers, the electrolyte sublayers are between two adjacent electroactive polymer sublayers, and N is a positive integer greater than 1.

According to some embodiments of the invention, the electroactive polymer layer comprises M electroactive polymer sublayers, the electrolyte layer comprises M or M +1 electrolyte sublayers, the electrolyte sublayers and the electroactive polymer sublayers are arranged at intervals, and M is a positive integer.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the flexible unit further includes a first insulating layer covering the thin film transistor, the second electrode is formed on a side of the first insulating layer away from the thin film transistor, a via hole is provided in the first insulating layer, and the source or drain of the thin film transistor is electrically connected to the second electrode through the via hole.

According to some embodiments of the invention, the flexible unit comprises a thin film transistor array formed by a plurality of said thin film transistors, a second electrode array formed by a plurality of said second electrodes, and one or more of said first electrodes. The source electrode or the drain electrode of each thin film transistor in the thin film transistor array is electrically connected with a corresponding second electrode in the second electrode array, and the second electrodes in the second electrode array are arranged at intervals and respectively correspond to different positions of the electroactive polymer layer.

According to some embodiments of the invention, one of the first electrodes and at least two of the second electrodes together provide an electric field acting on the electroactive polymer layer.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, the flexible unit further comprises a data voltage generator configured to be electrically connected to the source or drain of the plurality of thin film transistors in the thin film transistor array to supply a different first voltage to the second electrode.

According to some embodiments of the invention, the flexible body comprises a plurality of said flexible units, which are arranged in an extension direction along said electroactive polymer layer.

According to some embodiments of the invention, the flexible body comprises a plurality of said flexible units, which are arranged in a stack in a direction perpendicular to the direction of extension of the electroactive polymer layer.

A further embodiment of the present invention provides a method of controlling deformation of a flexible body as described in any of the preceding embodiments, comprising: supplying a first voltage to a source or a drain of the thin film transistor;

supplying a second voltage to the first electrode; and changing the first voltage to adjust the electric field acting on the electroactive polymer layer and control the corresponding deformation of the flexible body.

According to some embodiments of the invention, the flexible unit comprises a thin film transistor array composed of a plurality of said thin film transistors, a second electrode array composed of a plurality of said second electrodes, one or more of said first electrodes, and a data voltage generator electrically connected to sources or drains of a plurality of thin film transistors in said thin film transistor array, said method comprising: providing different first voltages to the plurality of thin film transistors by using the data voltage generator; supplying the second voltage to the first electrode; and changing the first voltage provided by the data voltage generator to adjust the electric field acting on the electroactive polymer layer and control the flexible body to deform correspondingly.

According to some embodiments of the invention, the flexible body comprises a plurality of the flexible units, the method comprising: providing different first voltages to the thin film transistors in the corresponding flexible unit by using a plurality of data voltage generators; supplying the second voltage to the first electrode; and changing the first voltage provided by the data voltage generators to adjust the electric field acting on the electroactive polymer layer and control the corresponding deformation of the flexible body.

Drawings

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of a flexible unit of a flexible body according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 schematically illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of a flexible unit of a flexible body according to another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of a flexible unit of a flexible body according to another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 schematically illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of a flexible unit of a flexible body according to yet another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 schematically illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of a flexible unit of a flexible body according to yet another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 schematically illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of a flexible body according to one embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 7 schematically illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of a flexible body according to another embodiment of the invention.

Detailed Description

Specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below by way of examples. It is to be understood that the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the examples set forth below, and that modifications and variations may be made in the illustrated embodiments by those skilled in the art using the principles and spirit of the present invention to obtain other embodiments in different forms and with the scope of the appended claims.

Fig. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view of an exemplary structure of a flexible unit 100 of a flexible body according to an embodiment of the present invention. Each of the flexible units 100 includes a first electrode 11, a second electrode 12, an electroactive polymer layer 13, and a thin film transistor T, and a source s or a drain d of the thin film transistor T is electrically connected to the second electrode 12. The first electrode 11 and the second electrode 12 are configured to provide an electric field acting on the electroactive polymer layer 13, the electroactive polymer layer 13 being configured to deform in response to the electric field provided by the first electrode 11 and the second electrode 12.

In the flexible body provided by the embodiment of the present invention, the electroactive polymer layer may deform under the action of an electric field provided by the first electrode and the second electrode, and the electric field may be generated by applying an external voltage to the first electrode and the second electrode and controlled by the external voltage and the thin film transistor. For example, external voltages having different waveforms may generate electric fields having different directions or intensities between the first electrode and the second electrode, and in addition, the average amplitude of the external voltage may be modulated by controlling the on or off of the thin film transistor, so as to cause the flexible unit to undergo a desired deformation, e.g., expansion or contraction. Thus, such flexible bodies have a wide range of application scenarios. For example, the flexible body can be applied to a robot as a constituent structure of an artificial muscle. At the moment, the flexible stretching of the artificial muscle can be realized under the condition that a motor or a hydraulic system is not needed, so that the structure of the artificial muscle and a control system of the artificial muscle can be greatly simplified by applying the flexible body, the stretching flexibility of the artificial muscle is enhanced, and the overall performance of the robot is improved. Similarly, such flexible bodies may also be applied to prosthetic limbs, thereby increasing the flexibility or convenience of the user when walking or moving. Moreover, as will be appreciated from the above discussion, the expansion process of the flexible body is actually a process of converting electrical energy into mechanical energy having a low intensity and a moderate release process, and the expansion process can provide a mild impact force to an external subject, and thus, the flexible body can also be applied to any application requiring such a mild impact force, including but not limited to electric massage chairs, actuators, and the like.

In the example of fig. 1, the flexible unit 100 includes a first flexible substrate 10 and a second flexible substrate 20 opposite to each other, and the first flexible substrate 10 and the second flexible substrate 20 may serve as an encapsulation structure of the flexible unit. The first electrode 11 and the second electrode 12 are located on both sides of the electroactive polymer layer 13, respectively. Alternatively, in another embodiment, as shown in fig. 2, the first electrode 11 and the second electrode 12 may be located on the same side of the electroactive polymer layer 13, respectively. It will be appreciated that in this case the electroactive polymer layer 13 will be deformed by the electric field generated by the first electrode 11 and the second electrode 12. In these embodiments, by arranging the first electrode 11 and the second electrode 12 in different arrangements, the first electrode and the second electrode can generate an electric field acting on the electroactive polymer to deform the electroactive polymer layer.

The electroactive polymer layer 13 may include an electroactive polymer of an electronic type or an electroactive polymer of an ionic type, and the type of electroactive polymer is not limited herein. In embodiments where the electroactive polymer layer is an ionic electroactive polymer, the flexible unit 100 further includes an electrolyte layer in contact with the ionic electroactive polymer layer. As shown in fig. 3, the flexible unit of the flexible body according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a first flexible substrate 10 and a second flexible substrate 20 opposite to each other; a first electrode 11 and a second electrode 12 between the first flexible substrate 10 and the second flexible substrate 20; an ionic electroactive polymer layer 13 located between the first and second electrodes; and an electrolyte 14 in contact with the ionic electroactive polymer layer 3. In fig. 3, the thin film transistor electrically connected to the second electrode 12 is not shown for the sake of simplicity. However, it is understood that in some embodiments, the flexible body may not have a thin film transistor, and in such embodiments, each flexible element in the flexible body deforms differently in direct response to changes in the external voltage. Thus, the general meaning of "flexible body" as referred to herein refers to a structure that is capable of being deformed under the influence of an external voltage, the structure having at least the first electrode, the second electrode and the electroactive polymer layer as referred to hereinbefore. The ionic electroactive polymer may be oxidized under a lower strength electric field, and thus, in this case, the flexible body may achieve expansion and contraction under a lower external voltage. The components of the ionic electroactive polymer may include, for example, polyaniline, polypyrrole, polythiophene, etc., and the electrolyte in the flexible body includes, but is not limited to, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, perchloric acid, and sodium chloride.

The process of changing the flexible unit 100 shown in fig. 3 will be described below. When the flexible body is electrically connected to a power source to generate a voltage difference between the first electrode and the second electrode, an electric field is formed between the first electrode and the second electrode, and the electroactive polymer in the electroactive polymer layer 13 is oxidized by the electric field, thereby generating a positive charge on the polymer backbone. To maintain electrical neutrality, anions in the electrolyte 14 may enter the electroactive polymer layer to neutralize positive charges due to oxidation. Since the ions (including anions and cations) in the electrolyte 14 are solvated, the solvent associated with the anions will also follow the anions into the electroactive polymer layer, causing the volume of the electroactive polymer layer to expand, eventually resulting in expansion of the entire flexible unit. It can be appreciated that the higher the electric field strength between the first and second electrodes, the higher the degree of oxidation of the polymer in the electroactive polymer layer 14 and the higher the degree of expansion of the flexible unit. When the voltage applied to the first and second electrodes is removed, the polymer in the electroactive polymer layer 13 undergoes a reduction, which is in effect an electron-withdrawing process. Then, anions in the electroactive polymer layer 13 are discharged to maintain electrical neutrality. Likewise, the solvent bound to the anions is also expelled from the electroactive polymer layer 13 following the anions. Thereby, the volume of the electroactive polymer layer is contracted, so that the entire flexible body is in a contracted state.

It can be understood that the flexible unit 100 schematically illustrated in fig. 1 to 3 is mainly used to facilitate understanding of the deformation process of the flexible unit described above, and does not set any limit to the shape or appearance of the flexible body. The flexible body or the flexible unit may have a shape or a size according to different applications, which is not limited herein. Further, although in fig. 3, the electrolyte 14 is shown below the electroactive polymer layer 13, this also does not limit the scope of protection of the present application, and the electrolyte 14 and the electroactive polymer layer 13 may have any relative positional relationship as long as the electrolyte 14 is in contact with the electroactive polymer layer 13 so that ions in the electrolyte can enter the electroactive polymer layer.

Referring next to fig. 4, according to a further embodiment of the invention, the electroactive polymer layer comprises a first electroactive polymer sublayer 131 and a second electroactive polymer sublayer 132, the electrolyte 14 being between the first electroactive polymer sublayer 131 and the second electroactive polymer sublayer 132. In this embodiment, the electrolyte has a larger contact area with the electroactive polymer, since the electrolyte is between the first and second electroactive polymer sub-layers, i.e. the electrolyte is surrounded by the electroactive polymer. When the flexible body receives external voltage to work, more ions in the electrolyte enter the electroactive polymer layer, so that higher expansion and contraction are realized under the same external voltage, the flexibility of a device applying the flexible body is further improved, and the energy utilization efficiency is favorably improved.

Further, in other embodiments, the electroactive polymer layer can be doped with mobile anions (e.g., ClO)₄ ^-Etc.). In this way, the conductivity of the electroactive polymer layer is enhanced, which facilitates faster expansion and contraction of the flexible body in response to an external voltage, thereby facilitating the reaction rate of the device to which the flexible body is applied.

Based on the embodiment shown in fig. 4, it can be understood that in other embodiments, the electroactive polymer layer includes N electroactive polymer sublayers, the electrolyte layer includes N-1 electrolyte sublayers, the electrolyte sublayers are between two adjacent electroactive polymer sublayers, and N is a positive integer greater than 1. Optionally, in another embodiment, the electroactive polymer layer may include M electroactive polymer sublayers, the electrolyte layer includes M or M +1 electrolyte sublayers, the electrolyte sublayers and the electroactive polymer sublayers are arranged at intervals, and M is a positive integer. That is, in some embodiments, the electroactive polymer layer is formed of a plurality of electrolyte sub-layers, and the electroactive polymer layer is formed of a plurality of electroactive polymer sub-layers, the electrolyte sub-layers and the electroactive polymer sub-layers alternating with each other.

Referring again to fig. 1 or 2, in some embodiments, each flexible unit of the flexible body includes a first insulating layer 17 covering the thin film transistor, the second electrode 12 is formed on a side of the first insulating layer 17 away from the thin film transistor, a via hole is provided in the first insulating layer 17, and a source or drain of the thin film transistor is electrically connected to the second electrode 12 through the via hole. In fig. 1 or 2, the basic structure of a single thin film transistor T is also schematically shown, the thin film transistor T having a gate electrode g, a source electrode s, a drain electrode d, and an active layer a. The second electrode 12 is electrically connected to one of a source or a drain of the thin film transistor T (e.g., the drain d), the other of the source or the drain of the thin film transistor T may be electrically connected to an external power source (not shown), and the first electrode 11 may be electrically connected to a reference potential. In the example of fig. 1 or 2, the source s of the thin film transistor T may be used to receive an external voltage. Therefore, the second electrode 12 can be driven using the thin film transistor T. When the gate g of the thin film transistor is turned on by receiving a corresponding control signal, it may transmit a voltage from a power supply to the second electrode 12, thereby forming an electric field between the second electrode 12 and the first electrode 11, which causes the electroactive polymer layer between the two electrodes to be deformed. In this embodiment, the first insulating layer provides good protection for the thin film transistor, reducing the adverse effect of the potential on the second electrode on the operating performance of the thin film transistor. The arrangement of the via hole in the first insulating layer enables the first insulating layer not to influence the driving action of the thin film transistor on the second electrode.

The example of fig. 1 or 2 shows a single thin film transistor and a second electrode 12 arranged in the flexible unit, but in other embodiments, a plurality of thin film transistors and a plurality of second electrodes may be arranged. For example, in the embodiment of fig. 5, the flexible unit of the flexible body includes a thin film transistor array composed of a plurality of thin film transistors and a second electrode array composed of a plurality of second electrodes 12, and one or more first electrodes 11. The source or drain of each thin film transistor in the thin film transistor array is electrically connected to a corresponding one of the second electrodes 12 in the second electrode array, and the plurality of second electrodes in the second electrode array are arranged at intervals and respectively correspond to different positions of the electroactive polymer layer. For the thin film transistor array, one part of the thin film transistors can be controlled to be in a conducting state, and the other part of the thin film transistors can be controlled to be in a non-conducting state. That is, the thin film transistors at different positions can be independently controlled as required, so that an electric field is generated between one part of the second electrode 12 and the first electrode 11, and an electric field is not generated between the other part of the second electrode 12 and the first electrode 11, thereby realizing the deformation of the local region of the flexible body.

In such an embodiment, one first electrode in combination with at least two second electrodes provides an electric field acting on the electroactive polymer layer. In order to form an electric field between the first and second electrodes, in some embodiments, a power conversion device capable of generating a desired voltage may be provided in the flexible unit. For example, in some embodiments, the flexible unit includes a data voltage generator configured to be electrically connected to a source or drain of each thin film transistor in the thin film transistor array to provide a different data voltage (also referred to herein as a "first voltage") to the second electrode. In the example of fig. 5, the thin film transistor array and the second electrode array are disposed on the second flexible substrate 20, and the first electrode 11 is disposed on a surface of the first flexible substrate 10 facing the second flexible substrate 20, corresponding to a plurality of second electrodes in the second electrode array.

In such an embodiment, a part of the thin film transistors in the thin film transistor array may be controlled to be in an on state, and another part of the thin film transistors in the thin film transistor array may be controlled to be in an off state, that is, by independently controlling the thin film transistors at different positions, it may be achieved that an electric field exists between a part of the second electrode 12 and the first electrode 11, and an electric field does not exist between another part of the second electrode 12 and the first electrode 11, thereby achieving deformation of a local region of the flexible body. That is, some areas of flexibility may be controlled to be in an expanded state and others in a contracted state as needed to achieve a desired telescoping effect. Furthermore, the data voltage generator may generate data voltages of different magnitudes based on the power supply voltage, and the data voltages of different magnitudes are provided to different thin film transistors and corresponding second electrodes, so that electric fields of different strengths may be formed between the different second electrodes and the first electrodes, and finally different regions of the flexible body may be expanded to different degrees. Further, it can be understood that the expansion and contraction of the flexible body may be continuously changed according to the gate control signal of the thin film transistor and the data voltage provided by the data voltage generator, and thus, this embodiment further enhances flexibility of the expansion and contraction of the flexible body, and enables a device (e.g., a robot, an electric massage chair, etc.) to which the flexible body is applied to more flexibly and finely operate.

As shown in fig. 5, according to some embodiments of the present invention, the thin film transistor is disposed on the second flexible substrate 20, the flexible unit 100 covers the first insulating layer 17 of the thin film transistor, and the second electrode 12 is formed on the first insulating layer 17. The second electrode 12 may be connected to the drain d of the thin film transistor via a via hole in the first insulating layer 17. Of course, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the gate electrode g of the thin film transistor is also separated from its active layer by an insulating layer, which is referred to as the gate insulating layer 18.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, as shown in fig. 5, the first electrode 11 may be a common electrode, the flexible unit further includes a common electrode line 21 on the second flexible substrate, and the common electrode line 21 is connected to the common electrode 11 via a conductive adhesive 19. Therefore, the common electrode line 21 has the same potential (e.g., reference potential) as the common electrode 11. The common electrode line 21 and the gate electrode g of the thin film transistor may be formed of the same material through a one-time patterning process (i.e., using only one mask), so that the efficiency of fabricating the flexible body may be improved and the production cost may be reduced.

In some embodiments, the conductive paste 19 is a photosensitive carbon-based conductive silicone paste. The photosensitive carbon-based conductive silica gel is selected to be beneficial to ensuring the reliability of connection between the first substrate and the second substrate and resisting the separation of the first substrate and the second substrate caused by the telescopic deformation of the electroactive polymer layer. In addition, the photosensitive carbon-based conductive silica gel can prevent or reduce the evaporation of the electrolyte in the packaging process of the flexible body.

According to some embodiments of the invention, the flexible body comprises a plurality of flexible units, which may be arranged in any suitable manner to meet different needs. For example, for the embodiment shown in fig. 6, the individual flexible units 100 in the flexible body are arranged along the extension direction of the electroactive polymer layer. These flexible units 100 may be disposed between two flexible substrates facing each other. Thus, different controls may be applied to different flexible units 100 as needed to cause different deformations, whereby a desired deformation of the entire flexible body may be achieved.

Alternatively, in a further embodiment, as shown in fig. 7, the individual flexible units 100 in the flexible body are arranged in a stack in a direction perpendicular to the direction of extension of the electroactive polymer layers in the flexible units 100. Adjacent flexible units 100 may be separated by a layer of flexible material. Since the amount of deformation occurring perpendicular to the extending direction of the electroactive polymer layer in the flexible unit 100 is greater than the amount of deformation occurring along the extending direction of the electroactive polymer layer under the same external voltage, a small number of flexible units are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the electroactive polymer layer in the flexible unit, it is possible to achieve a desired amount of deformation in the direction, improve utilization efficiency, and save costs. Of course, in further embodiments, the flexible units 100 of FIG. 7 may be replaced with individual flexible units 100 in the flexible body as shown in FIG. 6.

As described above, the flexible body provided by the embodiment of the present invention can be used as a constituent structure of an artificial muscle, and therefore, another embodiment of the present invention provides an artificial muscle including the flexible body according to any one of the foregoing embodiments. The artificial muscle using the flexible body provided by the embodiment of the invention has a simpler structure, avoids a complex control system and can realize flexible extension and retraction.

Further, another embodiment of the present invention provides a method of manufacturing the flexible body provided in the previous embodiment, the method including: providing a rigid substrate; fabricating the flexible body according to the previous embodiment on a rigid substrate; and separating the flexible body from the rigid substrate. Thus, the flexible body can be produced in a quantitative manner, and the manufacturing efficiency of the flexible body can be improved.

The specific process of making a single flexible unit is illustrated below, again with reference to fig. 5. First, the gate electrode g and the common electrode line 21 of the thin film transistor may be fabricated on the second substrate 20 by processes of glue coating, exposure, development, etching, and the like, and then the gate insulating layer 18, the active layer a of the thin film transistor, and the source/drain electrodes may be sequentially fabricated. Next, a first insulating layer 17 covering the thin film transistor is formed, and a via hole is formed in the first insulating layer 17. The second electrode 12 is then formed on the first insulating layer 17 by spraying a metal material so that the second electrode 12 is connected to the source/drain of the thin film transistor via the via hole in the first insulating layer 17. After completion of the above steps, or before performing the above steps, the following additional steps may be performed: a first electrode 11 is sequentially formed on a first flexible substrate 10, and then an electroactive polymer is coated on the first electrode 11 to a certain thickness and an electrolyte is injected into the electroactive polymer. At this point, some layer structures have been fabricated on the first flexible substrate and the second flexible substrate, respectively. Next, the first flexible substrate and the second flexible substrate are aligned by using a conductive paste, and the first electrode 11 and the common electrode line 21 are connected via the conductive paste, thereby obtaining a flexible body as shown in fig. 5. In some embodiments, the material used for manufacturing the insulating layer in the above steps may be an organic insulating material, and a coupling agent is used to connect the inorganic material and the organic material, so that the persistent stability of each layer structure on the flexible substrate may be facilitated, and the flexible body may have good bending deformation stability.

Further embodiments of the present invention provide a method of controlling deformation of a flexible body, which may be a flexible body as described in any of the preceding embodiments. The method may comprise the steps of: supplying a first voltage to a source or a drain of the thin film transistor; supplying a second voltage to the first electrode; and changing the first voltage to adjust the electric field acting on the electroactive polymer layer and control the corresponding deformation of the flexible body.

Further, in another embodiment, the flexible unit includes a thin film transistor array formed by a plurality of thin film transistors, a second electrode array formed by a plurality of second electrodes, one or more first electrodes, and a data voltage generator electrically connected to the sources or drains of the plurality of thin film transistors in the thin film transistor array, and the method for controlling the deformation of the flexible body includes: providing different first voltages to the plurality of thin film transistors by using the data voltage generator; supplying the second voltage to the first electrode; and changing the first voltage provided by the data voltage generator to adjust the electric field acting on the electroactive polymer layer and control the flexible body to deform correspondingly.

According to some embodiments of the invention, the flexible body comprises a plurality of said flexible units, and the method of controlling the deformation of the flexible body comprises: providing different first voltages to the thin film transistors in the corresponding flexible unit by using a plurality of data voltage generators; supplying the second voltage to the first electrode; and changing the first voltage provided by the data voltage generators to adjust the electric field acting on the electroactive polymer layer and control the corresponding deformation of the flexible body.

While certain exemplary embodiments of the invention have been described in detail above, other variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed invention, from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude the presence of other elements, and the claims do not limit the number of features recited therein. Although some features are recited in different dependent claims, this application is also intended to cover embodiments in which these features are combined together.