Improved response of ionic liquid-based bending actuators by tailored interaction with the polar fluorinated polymer matrix

Abstract Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF), poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-trifluoroethylene) (PVDF-TrFE), poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) and poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-chlorotrifluoroethylene) (PVDF-CTFE) were evaluated for the development of ionic liquid (IL) - polymer composite bending actuators. The selected guest IL, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide, [Emim][TFSI], was incorporated into the different host polymer matrixes in concentrations ranging from 10 to 40 wt%. The IL/polymer composites electrical properties strongly depend on the IL content. The largest bending response was found for the IL/PVDF-TrFE composites with a maximum bending value of ∼3.5 mm using a frequency of 100 mHz at an applied potential difference of 5.0 V pp . Thus, PVDF-TrFE are attractive candidates for the development of high performance bending actuators.