Abstract
In the field of bioinspired soft robotics, to accomplish sophisticated tasks in human fingers, electroactive artificial muscles are under development. However, most existing actuators show a lack of high bending displacement and irregular response characteristics under low input voltages. Here, based on metal free covalent triazine frameworks (CTFs), we report an electro-ionic soft actuator that shows high bending deformation under ultralow input voltages that can be implemented as a soft robotic touch finger on fragile displays. The as-synthesized CTFs, derived from a polymer of intrinsic microporosity (PIM-1), were combined with poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT-PSS) to make a flexible electrode for a high-performance electro-ionic soft actuator. The proposed soft touch finger showed high peak-to-peak displacement of 17.0 mm under ultralow square voltage of ±0.5 V, with 0.1 Hz frequency and 4 times reduced phase delay in harmonic response compared with that of a pure PEDOT-PSS-based actuator. The significant actuation performance is mainly due to the unique physical and chemical configurations of CTFs electrode with highly porous and electrically conjugated networks. On a fragile display, the developed soft robotic touch finger array was successfully used to perform soft touching, similar to that of a real human finger; device was used to accomplish a precise task, playing electronic piano.
Highlights
In the field of bioinspired soft robotics, to accomplish sophisticated tasks in human fingers, electroactive artificial muscles are under development
In spite of tremendous potential of ionic soft actuators, they have not been properly employed in soft robots due to certain critical issues hampering their implementation in real applications
This implies that the choice of aromatic nitrile derivatives as precursors of covalent triazine frameworks (CTFs) is effective in enhancing the electrochemical performance of the corresponding electrodes
Summary
In the field of bioinspired soft robotics, to accomplish sophisticated tasks in human fingers, electroactive artificial muscles are under development. Besides the ultra-low driving voltage and high bending deformation, another important factor, which makes ionic soft actuators stand out among their counterparts, is the easy fabrication process This type of soft actuator can be readily prepared by simple drop casting of electrode material on the electrolyte membrane, and the process is cost-effective considering mass production of real robotic devices. One major advantage of using CFTs in real applications is to retain their inherently stable chemical structures and extended conjugated frameworks in different environments such as open air, common organic/inorganic solvents, and even in harsh conditions such as elevated temperature, acidic or basic solutions, etc., in which they show no compromise of their physical or chemical properties This robustness of CTFs can be potentially beneficial for improving actuation performance, as well as increasing the durability and lifetime of ionic soft actuators in real applications. Such modified PIM-1 materials show excellent electrochemical catalysis properties and can induce separation-adsorption of gas and/or liquid mixtures in ambient condition[42,43,44,45]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call