Abstract
| - Attempts have been made to control the spontaneous random motion of a tetrahydrofuran-swollenamphiphilic polymer gel on a water surface. By allowing the ejection of tetrahydrofuran through spoutingholes, the gel showed an improved translational motion with a velocity of 77 mm/s or rotation with arotation rate of 394 rpm. The controlled rotation showed an energy efficiency of 4.5 × 10-3%, which was10 times of that of random motion. On the basis of the improved rotational motion of the gel, a generatorconsisting of a gel rotor equipped with a pair of permanent magnets and a solenoid coil has been constructed.The generator rotor which was 40 mm long, 6 mm wide, and 2 mm thick, produced an alternative electricpower with an instantaneous electromotive force as high as 15mV for a period of over 30 min. Suchbehaviors as the controlled motion, the spreading rate of tetrahydrofuran on the water surface, thecrystallization and texture of gel surfaces, and the power generated have been described.
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