Electrochemical Vibrating Fan Based on Manganese Dioxide

Smart actuating materials have a lot to offer in compact devices requiring mechanical motions. Here, based on the fast electrochemical actuation response of manganese dioxide (MnO2) under low voltage requirements, we present designs of compact vibrating fans based on a dual-actuator circuit connection that takes advantage of the pseudocapacitive behavior of MnO2 to offer large and reversible bending under an applied alternating voltage of ±1.5 V. The cooling effect of a typical fan is found to be proportional to (frequency $\times $ amplitude)1.75, with the coefficient of performance (COP) in the range from 0.25 to 1.27. This study demonstrates MnO2 as a new possible actuating material for powering a mini-sized vibrating fan.