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Fabrication of Carbon-Based Ionic Electromechanically Active Soft Actuators
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Self-standing cellulose nanofiber/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(4-styrenesulfonate)/ionic liquid actuators
Naohiro Terasawa1, Kinji Asaka1
1Inorganic Functional Material Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) 1-8-31 Midorigaoka Ikeda Osaka 563-8577 Japan terasawa-naohiro@aist.go.jp.
RSC Advances
|May 13, 2022
Summary
New cellulose nanofiber actuators (CNF/PEDOT:PSS/IL) offer superior performance over existing technologies. These flexible, robust materials show promise for wearable energy devices.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Traditional actuators often rely on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) or vapor-grown carbon nanofibers (VGCFs) within polymer electrolytes.
- Existing PEDOT:PSS/IL actuators have limitations in strain and stress generation.
- Cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) present a novel alternative to CNTs in actuator design.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and characterize novel actuator materials utilizing cellulose nanofiber/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(4-styrenesulfonate)/ionic liquid (CNF/PEDOT:PSS/IL) structures.
- To compare the performance of these new actuators against existing PEDOT:PSS/IL based devices.
- To model the electrochemical behavior of the new actuator system.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of actuator films with CNF/PEDOT:PSS/IL structures.
- Electrochemical characterization including cyclic voltammetry and impedance spectroscopy.
- Mechanical testing to determine strain and stress generation.
- Development of a double-layer charging kinetic model.
Main Results:
- The CNF/PEDOT:PSS/IL actuators demonstrated significantly higher strain and maximum generated stress compared to PEDOT:PSS/IL actuators.
- The developed films were found to be novel, robust, and flexible.
- The double-layer charging kinetic model successfully simulated the frequency-dependent displacement response, explaining PEDOT:PSS oxidation and reduction.
Conclusions:
- The novel CNF/PEDOT:PSS/IL actuator system offers enhanced performance characteristics.
- These actuators hold significant potential for applications in wearable energy-conversion devices.
- The developed kinetic model provides valuable insights into the actuator's electrochemical mechanism.
