| 초록 |
Ionic polymer-metal composites (IPMCs), electroactive materials having metals as conductive medium, show large bending deformation. These materials are used as dynamic sensors, robotic actuators and artificial muscles. Nafion® based IPMCs are one of the most widely used materials for these applications. The expensiveness and some draw backs of the Nafion® based IPMCs led extensive research to find out alternatives of the Nafion®. In this connection, we tried to find inexpensive polystyrene based IPMCs. We synthesized poly(styrene-co-styrenesulfonic acid) of various ion exchange capacities ranging from 0.9 to 2.3 (meq/g) to be used as an electrolyte in IPMC application. These IPMCs showed good water uptake and retention capacity, ionic conductivity, tip displacement and blocking force, and small-cum-slow back relaxation. The detailed results for the cheap and effective artificial muscles from these composite membranes will be presented. |
