Abstract
In films of conducting polymers, the electrochemical reaction(s) drive the simultaneous variation of different material properties (reaction multifunctionality). Here, we present a parallel study of actuation-sensing-energy storage triple functionality of polypyrrole (PPy) blends with dodecylbenzenesulfonate (DBS-), PPy/DBS, without and with inclusion of polyethyleneoxide, PPy-PEO/DBS. The characterization of the response of both materials in aqueous solutions of four different salts indicated that all of the actuating, sensing and charge storage responses were, independent of the electrolyte, present for both materials, but stronger for the PPy-PEO/DBS films: 1.4× higher strains, 1.3× higher specific charge densities, 2.5× higher specific capacitances and increased ion-sensitivity towards the studied counterions. For both materials, the reaction energy, the material potential and the strain variations adapt to and sense the electrical and chemical (exchanged cation) conditions. The driving and the response of actuation, sensing and charge can be controlled/read, simultaneously, via just two connecting wires. Only the cooperative actuation of chemical macromolecular motors from functional cells has such chemical multifunctionality.
Highlights
Electro-chemo-mechanical actuators such as conducting polymers have been attracting wide interest for a wide range of applications [1] such as smart textiles [2], soft robotics [3], micro actuators [4], biomedical applications [5] and so on
An empirical study was presented showing the multifunctional properties of PPy-PEO/DBS films, which were compared with classical pristine PPy/DBS films
For the same voltammetric stimulus, higher (1.4 times) strain variations were reached by PPy-PEO/DBS films
Summary
Electro-chemo-mechanical actuators such as conducting polymers have been attracting wide interest for a wide range of applications [1] such as smart textiles [2], soft robotics [3], micro actuators [4], biomedical applications [5] and so on. Polymers 2020, 12, 2060; doi:10.3390/polym12092060 red ox [(PPy)0 (DBS− )n (C+ )n (S)m ] (1) This reaction gives rise to cation-driven actuators: the material swells during reduction to solvated cation ingress (counterions) and contracts during oxidation of solvated counterions’ egress in direction of the electrolyte. Each PPy chain in the film acts as a multistep (n electrons extracted one by one) molecular machine and the cooperative conformational change of the individual polymer chains during a reaction gives rise to the material shape change (actuation). Various studies [7] of conducting polymers demonstrating concurrent actuation and sensing functions have been reported revealing that the motors can sense the electrolyte concentration [8], the working temperature [9], the mechanical loads on the actuator [10] and solvent of the electrolyte solution [11]
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