Actuation of Carbon Nanofiber Reinforced Electro-Active Paper Actuators

Actuation of two types of electro-active paper actuators composed of functionalized carbon nanofiber, polypyrrole, and regenerated cellulose (FCNF/PPy/RC) and functionalized carbon nanofiber, ionic liquid, and regenerated cellulose (FCNF/IL/RC) is evaluated for different preparation processes. FCNF/PPy/RC nanocomposite films are prepared by dispersing functionalized carbon nanofiber and polypyrrole into cellulose solution in DMAC/LiCl, and then casting the solution onto glass. FCNF/IL/RC nanocomposite films are fabricated simply by adopting a bimorph configuration with a regenerated cellulose-supported internal ionic liquid electrolyte layer sandwiched by electrode layers with a view to getting quick and long-lived operation in air at low applied voltage. The electrode layers include functionalized carbon nanofiber, ionic liquid and regenerated cellulose. The results indicate that the bending displacement decreases with increasing frequency and increases with increasing voltage for both types of actuators. These low voltage driven solid state actuators show maximum stress and strain of 12.73 MPa and 3.0%, respectively, which are comparable with other low-voltage driven solid-state electro-active polymer actuators. The advantages of these types of actuators are their ability to perform well in air and easy process of fabrication.Copyright © 2012 by ASME