The enhancement of intelligent electric response properties in the Polymer Gel Artificial Muscle (PGAM) by incorporating micro/nanoscaled doping and regulation of Graphene Oxide (GO)

Abstract

To align with the principles of environmental conservation and sustainable progress, a Polymer Gel Artificial Muscle (PGAM) was designed with a sandwich-like configuration, comprising two non-metallic electrode membranes enclosing an electrically-actuated membrane. This PGAM exhibited promising prospects due to its advantageous features such as lightweight, intelligibility, flexibility, and excellent activity. However, despite the widespread utilization of polymer gels, their investigation into intelligent electric response property remained a significant challenge. This study investigated the intelligent electric response properties of the enhanced PGAM by incorporating micro/nanoscaled doping with varying amounts of Graphene Oxide (GO). A control group consisting of a PGAM without GO was also utilized, allowing for the analysis of the regulatory mechanism behind GO-doped PGAM. The findings indicated that a doping amount of 0.03 wt% of GO resulted in a maximum peak difference of 16.08 mN/g in the output force density of PGAM during multiple cycles, with a maximum change rate of 21.13%. The PGAM demonstrated a maximum output force density of 15.06 mN/g during a single cycle when doped with 0.03 wt% of GO. Furthermore, electrochemical analysis of the PGAM revealed that at the same doping amount of 0.03 wt%, the specific capacitance reached its peak value of 324 nF·cm−2, while the resistance reached its minimum value of 1.61 Ω. In summary, the incorporation of GO doping has been found to enhance the intelligent electric response properties of PGAM, thereby offering a novel approach for the advancement of flexible actuators exhibiting superior intelligent electric response property.