A membrane actuator based on an ionic polymer network and carbon nanotubes: the synergy of ionic transport and mechanical properties

There is a growing interest in the development of ionic polymer-metal composites (IPMC) as sensors and actuators for biomedical applications due to their large deformation under low driving voltage. In this study, we employed poly(vinyl alcohol)/poly(2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid) (PVA/PAMPS) blend membranes as semi-interpenetrating polymer networks for ion exchange in IPMC construction. To improve the mechanical and electrical properties of the IPMC, multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNT) were added into PVA/PAMPS membranes. The actuator performance of the membranes was measured as a function of their water uptake, ion exchange capacity, ionic conductivity and the amount of MWNT in the membrane. The dispersion quality of the modified MWNT in the PVA/PAMPS membrane was measured using transmission electron microscopy. The cantilever-type IPMC actuator bends under applied voltage and its bending angle and the generative tip force were measured. Under an applied voltage, IPMC with similar to 1 wt% MWNT showed the largest deflection and generated the largest blocking tip force compared with those of IPMC with other various amounts of MWNT. These results show that a small addition of MWNT can optimize the actuation performance of IPMC. The result indicates that IPMC with MWNT shows potential for use as biomimetic artificial muscle.