Electrochemical and electromechanical properties of high performance polymer actuators using multi-walled carbon nanotubes containing ruthenium oxide

Abstract

Abstract The effects of ionic liquid (IL) on the electrochemical and electromechanical properties of actuators using a non-activated multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)-IL gel electrode containing ruthenium oxide (RuO2) were investigated. The electrochemical and electromechanical properties of actuators using non-activated MWCNT-IL gel electrodes containing RuO2 were compared to those of a single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT)-based actuator. The RuO2/MWCNT electrode containing 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate (EMI[BF4]) gives the largest double-layer capacitance. Moreover, the non-activated MWCNT polymer actuator containing RuO2 surpassed the performance of the only-MWCNT and only-SWCNT actuators in terms of the strain and maximum generated stress. The RuO2/MWCNT actuator containing EMI[CF3BF3] provided the largest strain and maximum generated stress. Both MWCNTs and RuO2 are required to produce a rapid and large response actuator that surpasses the performance of the only-SWCNT polymer actuator. The frequency dependence of the displacement response of the RuO2/MWCNT polymer actuator was also measured and could be successfully simulated using an electrochemical kinetic model. The simulation result for the frequency dependence of the electromechanical response of the RuO2/MWCNT actuators determined two parameters for the simulation: the strain at a limit of low frequency and the time constant.