Water is transferred between the layers and the muscle works like a hydraulic jack. So the system functions by changing shape without changing volume. Similar synthetic muscles made from gel change volume because they take up and expel water. Now he hopes to take the work to a smaller scale. We want to have a drop of this polymer with little electrodes to make a very small muscle that could be used to move a device on a printed circuit board, such as a tiny valve or a mirror to reflect a laser beam.
Polyacrylic acid is the component that contracts.
The chemistry that drives this is very complex. Now, as we go to a smaller scale, we have to get to work and rethink the chemistry. Although Calvert envisions some applications for printed circuit boards, it's difficult to foresee all the applications. Once these materials are developed, engineers often begin to apply them to applications we never envision at the outset.