We present the fabrication and characterization of a cost-effective soft actuator capable of bidirectional cantilevered bending in ambient conditions when an electric potential of 4 V is applied. The fabrication procedure is straightforward, minimizes the use of toxic chemicals, and can be executed with common lab equipment. The resulting actuator has a tri-layer construction consisting of a strip of Nafion-117 membrane sandwiched between two multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) buckypaper electrodes. The buckypaper fabrication was optimized via investigating various combinations of solvents, surfactant, MWCNT concentrations, and layered filtrations, leading to highly conductive and strong buckypaper electrodes. The resulting buckypaper electrode had an electrical resistance of about 10 Ω, which is similar to an industrially synthesized buckypaper. After saturating the actuator in an ionic liquid BMIMBF4 (C8H15BF4N2) and applying a low voltage to its electrodes, the actuator responds by bending to ward the anode during a period of 20 seconds. The results showed that our 50 mm long actuator (mounted with a cantilevered length of 40 mm) achieved a maximum tip displacement of 28 mm (strain of 0.70) and a tip blocking force of 0.98 mN.
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