Electromechanical soft actuators based on Polystyrene-b-poly(1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium p-styrenesulfonate) block copolymer

Abstract

Ionic electroactive polymer actuators are the key component in bio-inspired smart structures such as soft robots, small autonomous drones, and space devices. In such applications, the actuators must be capable of large, fast bending at a low voltage with a strong blocking force, which requires the polymer electrolytes to have both high ionic conductivity and excellent mechanical strength. However, almost all the polymers that have been implemented in actuators were originally optimized for other purposes (fuel cells, for example), so their characteristics are distinct from the needed requirements. Herein, I have synthesized two block copolymers that were especially designed for use in ionic electroactive polymer actuators. Such block copolymers were characterized via 1H NMR, GPC, TEM, SEM, and AFM. The derivative actuators showed good performances with a sub-one volt stimulus producing a very fast response of fewer than ten seconds. The results indicate that the block copolymers were well designed and successfully synthesized for use in ionic electroactive polymer actuators.