Three-Dimensional Graphene-Polypyrrole Hybrid Electrochemical Actuator

Editor(s)

Bai, Chunli

Abstract

The advancement of mechanical actuators benefits from the development of new structural materials with prominent properties. a novel three-dimensional (3D) hydrothermally converted graphene and polypyrrole (G-PPy) hybrid electrochemical actuator is presented, which is prepared via a convenient hydrothermal process, followed by in situ electropolymerization of pyrrole. the 3D pore-interconnected G-PPy pillar exhibits strong actuation responses superior to pure graphene and PPy film. in response to the low potentials of ±0.8 V, the saturated strain of 3D G-PPy pillar can reach a record of 2.5%, which is more than 10 times higher than that of carbon nanotube film and about 3 times that of unitary graphene film under an applied potential of ±1.2 V. Also, the 3D G-PPy actuator exhibits high actuation durability with high operating load as demonstrated by an 11 day continuous measurement. Finally, a proof-of-concept application of 3D G-PPy as smart filler for on/off switch is also demonstrated, which indicates the great potential of the 3D G-PPy structure developed in this study for advanced actuator systems.

Department(s)

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

2040-3364

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2012 Royal Society of Chemistry, All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Jan 2012

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