| Abstract
| - A novel approach based on electrohydrodynamic behavior of a dielectric liquid pattern in electric field wasdeveloped to fabricate a poly(vinyl alcohol)/dimethyl sulfoxide (PVA/DMSO) gel electromechanical system.Driving experiments indicate that this system could be well-operated in air by using a direct current (DC)electric field, and the gel exhibits a long-range path-controlled snaillike or snakelike motion with a fast crawlingspeed of 14.4 mm/s. Some factors, such as the applied electric field and the mass of the gel on the averagecrawling speed of the gel at linear path and curvilinear path, are investigated. Furthermore, a transition betweensnaillike gaits and snakelike gaits of the gel is also further studied in this system. The mechanism analysissuggests that this path-controlled motion of the gel arises from the drag of the spatial varied shear force Foriginated from the electrohydrodynamic flow of the solvent in and out of the gel.
|
