Novel Adhesion Technique Using Metallic or Non-Metallic Hydrous Oxide of Metal Complexes Involving Magnetic Compound Fluid Rubber under Electrolytic Polymerization and Magnetic Field for Producing Sensors

Kunio Shimada; Hiroshige Kikura; Hideharu Takahashi; Ryo Ikeda

doi:10.3390/s19030689

Novel Adhesion Technique Using Metallic or Non-Metallic Hydrous Oxide of Metal Complexes Involving Magnetic Compound Fluid Rubber under Electrolytic Polymerization and Magnetic Field for Producing Sensors

Sensors (Basel). 2019 Feb 8;19(3):689. doi: 10.3390/s19030689.

Authors

Kunio Shimada¹, Hiroshige Kikura², Hideharu Takahashi³, Ryo Ikeda⁴

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Symbiotic Systems Sciences, Fukushima University, 1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima 960-1296, Japan. shimadakun@sss.fukushima-u.ac.jp.
² Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan. kikura@lane.iir.titech.ac.jp.
³ Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan. htakahashi@lane.iir.titech.ac.jp.
⁴ Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan. ikeda.r.ah@m.titech.ac.jp.

Abstract

As per sequential studies on new types of soft rubber for the artificial skin of robots, smart sensors, etc., we have proposed and investigated hybrid skin (H-Skin) and haptic sensors by using magnetic compound fluid (MCF), compounding natural rubber latex (NR-latex), and applying electric and magnetic fields. Through electrolytic polymerization, the MCF rubber is solidified. The MCF rubber has hybrid sensing functions and photovoltaic effects, and electric charge as battery. In case of the production of soft rubber sensors, however, the problem of adhesion between metal electrodes and rubber is very important. In the present study, we propose a novel adhesive technique for bonding the metal electrodes and MCF rubber by using metallic or non-metallic hydrous oxide, which is a metal complex, via electrolytic polymerization. The anionic radical hydrate reacts with the isoprene molecules of NR-latex or chloroprene rubber latex (CR-latex) such that they are cross-linked and the MCF rubber with the hydrate is solidified, which can be represented via a chemical reaction equation. By means of this adhesive technique, we presented five cases of sensors fabricated using metal electrodes and rubbers. This technique is applicable for novel cohesion between rubber and metal.

Keywords: adhesion; artificial skin; chloroprene rubber; electrolytic polymerization; magnetic cluster; magnetic compound fluid (MCF); magnetic field; metal complex; metallic hydrous oxide; natural rubber; non-metallic hydrous oxide; robot; sensing.