High‐performance nano‐biocomposite ionic soft actuators based on microfibrillated cellulose/ionic liquid electrolyte membrane

Abstract

High-performance electro-responsive ionic soft actuators with low actuation voltage, large bending strain, and ecofriendly functionalities have received great interest in soft robots, biomimetic robots, biomedical devise, flexible electronics, and wearable devices. Herein, we report a novel ionic soft actuator using biofriendly microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) and PEDOT:PSS, which exhibited a large peak-to-peak displacement (11.21 mm) mm under a sinusoidal excitation of 1.5 V at 0.1 Hz, low actuation voltage, wide driving frequency, excellent actuation durability (98% retention for 2 h), and excellent controllability, due to the strong ionic interactions of MFC fibers with cations and anions of ionic liquid (IL). Furthermore, the helical MFC-IL ionic actuator was successfully designed, displaying that the radical displacements of the helical actuator could be controlled by changing the applied frequency and voltage. Therefore, the proposed ionic actuator as well as its helical design will offer an available pathway for guiding the development of artificial muscles, biomedical active devices, soft robots, flexible electronics, and soft electronics.

Preparation of Graphene Thermally Responsive Double-Layer Composite Fibers via Dry Spinning for Wearable Intelligent Sensors

“…In recent years, with the emergence of applications such as health monitoring, , artificial electronic skin, , wearable electronic devices, and human motion assistance, wearable intelligent sensor technology , has rapidly developed. Two-component flexible sensors , have attracted attention due to their potential applications in intelligent devices, , have overcome the shortcomings of traditional sensors, such as high rigidity and slow response, and have shown great application prospects.…”

High‐performance carboxylated cellulose nanofibers‐based electro‐responsive ionic artificial muscles toward bioinspired applications

“…Among these artificial muscles, ionic actuators have gained wide attention on account of large displacement, low driving voltage, wide frequency band, and fast response time 15–17 . The ionic actuator consists of a polymer electrolyte membrane and two parallel electrode layers in a sandwich structure and its bending deformation resulted from the movement of ionic liquids within the electrolyte membrane under external voltage 18 . Consequently, the electrolyte membrane plays key role in actuation responses.…”

“…[15][16][17] The ionic actuator consists of a polymer electrolyte membrane and two parallel electrode layers in a sandwich structure and its bending deformation resulted from the movement of ionic liquids within the electrolyte membrane under external voltage. 18 Consequently, the electrolyte membrane plays key role in actuation responses. Its mechanical and electrochemical properties are the important standards to evaluate whether the electrolyte membranes are excellent or not.…”