Chapter 15 - Electromechanical characterization of magnetic responsive and conductive soft polymer actuators

Abstract

Two different types of soft actuators magnetic actuator and electroactive polymer (EAP) actuator are fabricated by using poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) as a conductive electrode. Magnetic actuators were fabricated through drop-casting of PEDOT:PSS and Fe3O4. Similarly, the EAP actuators were fabricated with ionic liquid/PVDF film sandwiched by two PEDOT:PSS film electrodes. In the magnetic actuator, the conductivity of the actuator decreases from 2160.0 to 1833.7S/cm, as the ratio of PEDOT:PSS to Fe3O4 increases from 1:1 to 1:5. Meanwhile, the saturation magnetization increases, as the ratio increases from 1:1 to 1:5. For the EAP actuator, the PEDOT:PSS/xylitol films with a conductivity of 73.5S/cm are employed for the electrical actuation. Overall, these actuators have the potential to be used in biomedical applications as soft actuators.