Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 14, 2026

Fabrication of Carbon-Based Ionic Electromechanically Active Soft Actuators
Published on: April 25, 2020
Statics and dynamics of electroactuation with single-charge-carrier ionomers
Alpha A Lee1, Ralph H Colby, Alexei A Kornyshev
1Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ, UK.
Abstract:
A simple theory of electromechanical transduction for single-charge-carrier double-layer electroactuators is developed, in which the ion distribution and curvature are mutually coupled. The obtained expressions for the dependence of the curvature and charge accumulation on the applied voltage, as well as the electroactuation dynamics, are compared with literature data. The mechanical or sensor performance of such electroactuators appears to be determined by just three cumulative parameters, with all of their constituents measurable, permitting a scaling approach to their design.
Related Concept Videos
Theory of Strong Electrolytes
Ion Exchange
The Electrical Double Layer
Ionic Association
Electrostatic Boundary Conditions in Dielectrics
Consider a case where both the mediums across a boundary are two different dielectric materials. Recall that the electric field and electric displacement are proportional and related through the material's permittivity.
Electron Carriers
Over the many stages of cellular respiration, glucose breaks down into carbon dioxide and water. Electron carriers pick up electrons lost by glucose in these reactions, temporarily storing and releasing them into the electron...

