An electrochemical micro actuator

In this paper an investigation of the feasibility of a new electrochemical micro actuator is presented. The actuator is fabricated using silicon micro-machining techniques. A gas pressure is generated by electrolysis of an aqueous electrolyte solution. The build up pressure is used to change the deflection of a membrane. The actuator has three states: the electrolysis state, in which the pressure is built up; the passive state, in which the circuit is open and the pressure is maintained; and the pressure reduction state, in which the electrodes are short-circuited in order to reduce the pressure. The advantage of this type of actuation is a low energy consumption. The power is required during pressure build up and to change the states.