The actuation of ionic polymer actuators is mainly caused by the ion transport and excess ions storage in the membrane and electrodes. To quantify the charge transport behavior, a time domain method based on Poisson-Nernst-Planck equations was applied. The time domain transient current in response to a step voltage can provide insights on the charge transport and storage behaviors in the membranes. In this study, we investigate the charge transport behavior of Aquivion ionomer with different uptakes of l-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium trifluoromethanesulfonate (EMI-Tf). A critical uptake and voltage independent of charge transport behavior were observed. The results also show that bending actuations of the Aquivion membrane with 40wt% EMI-Tf is much larger than that of Nation, indicating that the shorter flexible side chain ionomer possesses a better electromechanical coupling between the excess ions and the membrane backbones, while not affect the actuation speed.
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