Investigation into a conductive artificial muscle based on sodium alginate/cellulose with good response characteristics

Abstract

Artificial muscle is a research topic that combines new driving methods, intelligent materials and bionics. To overcome the weaknesses of the electric actuator made of bio-gel materials, e.g. poor driving effect and short working life, the working mechanism of artificial muscle based on sodium alginate/cellulose (SCAM) and how to improve its performance have explored in this study. First of all, the basic process of preparing conductive artificial muscle with sodium alginate and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) as the main materials were defined. Secondly, the addition amount of CMC was optimized based on parameters such as the single-cycle output force, working life and curvature. Thirdly, the electrochemical and microscopic testing methods were applied to expound the internal reaction mechanism of improving the response characteristics of samples based on the FITR. The results show that the addition of CMC enables SCAM to have better response characteristics in the electric field, which is applicable to the practical application of flexible machinery and bio-gel artificial muscle.