Abstract
Ionic polymer metal composite (IPMC) actuator is a sandwiched structure with a thin polyelectrolyte strip or membrane plated with metal electrodes on both sides. Under a low applied voltage the IPMC strip bends toward either electrode depending on its polarity, forming a soft actuator for potential diverse applications. We report in details our methodologies for synthesizing IPMC with high quality electrode morphologies. We describe our experimental setup for measuring the physical and mechanical properties of IPMC. In conjunction with the experimental characterization, we finally present a parameter identification scheme to identify two key parameters for establishing relationship between unbalanced charge density and the associated electrostatic eigenstress, a constitutive law widely used in IPMC literature. The experimental and simulation procedures presented herein pave the avenue for fabrication, characterization and development of novel IPMC-based sensors and actuators.
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