Printing ionic polymer metal composite actuators by fused deposition modeling technology. Issue 2 (3rd April 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Yin, Guoxiao; He, Qingsong; Zhou, Xiangman; Wu, Yuwei; Li, Hongkai; Yu, Min
• Is Part Of: International journal of smart and nano materials. Volume 12:Issue 2(2021)
• Page Start: 218
• Page End: 231
• Publication Date: 2021-04-03
• Subjects: Fused deposition modeling -- ionic polymer metal composite -- nafion membrane -- current -- displacement -- blocking force; Smart materials -- Periodicals; Nanostructured materials -- Periodicals; Nanoscience -- Periodicals; 620.505
• DOI: 10.1080/19475411.2021.1914766
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1947-5411

Abstract

ABSTRACT: In this work, we printed a Nafion precursor membrane by fused deposition modeling (FDM) rapid prototyping technology and further fabricated IPMCs by electroless plating. The ion-exchange capacity of the Nafion membrane was tested, and the morphology of IPMCs was observed. The electro-mechanical properties of IPMCs under AC voltage inputs were studied, and grasping experiments were performed. The results show that the Nafion membrane after hydrolysis has a good ion-exchange ability and water-holding capacity. SEM observed that the thickness of the IPMC's electrode layer was about 400 nm, and the platinum layer was tightly combined with the substrate membrane. When using a square wave input of 3.5 V and 0.1 Hz, the maximum current of IPMCs reached 0.30 A, and the displacement and blocking force were 7.57 mm and 10.5 mN, respectively. The new fabrication process ensures the good driving performance of the printed IPMC. And two pieces of IPMCs can capture the irregular objects successfully, indicating the feasibility of printing IPMCs by FDM technology. This paper provides a new and simple method for the fabrication of three-dimensional IPMCs, which can be further applied in flexible grippers and soft robotics. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT: uf0001