Experimental investigation of curved electrode actuator dynamics in viscous dielectric media

Micromanipulation of biological cells inside a liquid environment requires an actuator that has a small footprint to reduce viscous drag and low actuation voltage to prevent electrolysis and Joule heating. Curved electrode actuators hold promise for underwater micromanipulation because they yield large displacements at low actuation voltages for a small footprint. In this letter, we report on the frequency-domain characteristics of the actuator and demonstrate that the actuator can achieve large displacements (1-10 mu m) and generate large forces (1-21 mu N) at low actuation voltages (8 V) over the 1-1000 Hz frequency range in a viscous dielectric media. Published by AIP Publishing.