FACILE SYNTHESIS OF SULFONATED POLYIMIDE WITH HIGHLY CONDUCTIVE SILVER ELECTRODE VIA DIRECT IONEXCHANGE SELF-METALLIZATION FOR ELECTRO-ACTIVE ARTIFICIAL MUSCLE

摘要

Ionic polymer metal composites (IPMCs), one of the most promising electro-active polymers, have received much attention in the past decade due to various potential applications in artificial muscles, sensors and actuators, biomimetic robots, space and underwater applications based on their attractive advantages of large strain, light weight, flexibility, low power consumption, biomimetic actuation, easy manufacturability and scalability. In general, IPMC consists of an solid polyelectrolyte membrane and two surface electrode layers deposited with noble metal, such as Pt, Pd, Au, Ag, and carbon nanotube electrodes, resulting in a sandwich-like structure. Actuation performance of IPMC actuators is strongly affected by the surface electrode layers, especially for the electrical conductivity and the surface morphology.