Electromechanical Analysis by Means of Complex Capacitance of Bucky-Gel Actuators Based on Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes and an Ionic Liquid

The displacement caused by an applied sinusoidal voltage and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy are used to analyze the electromechanical behavior of bucky-gel single-walled carbon nanotube actuators containing an ionic liquid. This behavior can be understood in terms of complex capacitance diagrams and the frequency dependence of the real and imaginary components or the capacitance. The complex power allows analyzing the relationship between energy storage and energy dissipation during the operation of the electrochemical actuator. Bucky-gel SWCNT actuators behave is supercapacitors. Accordingly, the energy-power plot or Ragone plot expresses the useable energy as a function of the power. In order to visualize the relationship between mechanical behavior and electrochemical properties, the strain-power plot is reported. The maximum power P-max and specific energy densities E-max of the electrochemical actuator are calculated. The energy densities of bucky-gel SWCNT actuators containing an ionic liquid arc of the same order or magnitude is those of natural muscles.