Abstract
The most rational approach to fabricate soft robotics is the implementation of soft actuators. Conventional soft electromechanical actuators exhibit linear or circular deformation, based on their design. This study presents the use of conjugated polymers, Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) to locally vary ion permeability of the ionic electroactive polymer actuators and manipulate ion motion through means of structural design to realize intrinsic angular deformation. Such angular deformations are closer to biomimetic systems and have potential applications in bio-robotics. Electrochemical studies reveal that the mechanism of actuation is mainly associated with the charging of electric double layer (EDL) capacitors by ion accumulation and the PEDOT:PSS layer’s expansion by ion interchange and penetration. Dependence of actuator deformation on structural design is studied experimentally and conclusions are verified by analytical and finite element method modeling. The results suggest that the ion-material interactions are considerably dominated by the design of the drop-cast PEDOT:PSS on Nafion.
Highlights
The field of robotics is currently dominated by “hard robots” consisting of hard materials, mainly metallic or composite structures, paired with either ceramic actuators or electric motors as drive trains
Our experimental results suggest that the PEDOT:PSS layers as the CNC considerably affect the
Our experimental results suggest that the PEDOT:PSS layers as the CNC considerably affect the actuation behavior
Summary
The field of robotics is currently dominated by “hard robots” consisting of hard materials, mainly metallic or composite structures, paired with either (or both) ceramic actuators or electric motors as drive trains. IEAP actuators’ performance and attributes depend on many factors, including the thickness and chemical structure of the ionomeric membrane [14]; the thickness, density, porosity, and electric conductivity of CNC layers [15,16,17,18,19]; the thickness and electric conductivity of metal electrodes [20]; and the type, mobility, and prevalence of mobile ions [14,17,21,22,23]. Circular actuation can be considered a disadvantage of IEAP actuators concerning soft bio-robotic applications, as it is distinctly different from most biological systems. IEAP actuators with angular deformation, mimicking the limb-like motion in biological systems, are presented and studied. This study is expected to provide a cornerstone for utilization of advanced manufacturing techniques such as 3D printing in fabrication of soft actuators [44,45]
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