Artificial muscle from graphene and carbon nanotube (Conference Presentation)

Abstract

One-dimensional artificial muscles like natural muscles have been studied for robots and artificial limbs to exoskeletons. Particularly, an artificial muscle using carbon nanotube (CNT) is very light and has excellent mechanical performance, and therefore CNT is researched as a promising material for artificial muscle. Here, we demonstrated large tensile stroke of CNT based artificial muscle with graphene inside. Using biscrolling method shown in previous CNT hybrid yarn supercapacitors, electrochemical capacitance of artificial muscles could be increased by implanting graphene into CNT yarns. These graphene biscrolled CNT artificial muscles have slightly lower mechanical properties than bare CNT yarn artificial muscles, however it shows superior tensile stroke because of its large capacitance. In addition to graphene, these artificial muscles have shown the possibility that other materials or strategies in reported supercapacitor studies can also be applied to improve the performance of electrochemical artificial muscles. Larger actuation of graphene biscrolled CNT artificial muscles could be applied to such areas as prosthetics devices.