Actuative properties of polyaniline fibers under electrochemical stimulation

In the last period, the interest in the development of devices that simulate the properties of the 'par excellence' biological actuator, the human muscle, is considerably grown. The recent advances in the field of conducting polymers open new interesting prospects in this direction: by this point of view polyaniline (PANi), since it is easily produced in fiber form, represents an interesting material. In this paper, we illustrate the development of a linear actuator prototype that makes use of PANi fibers. All fabrication steps (fiber extrusion, solid polymer electrolyte preparation, compound realization) and experimental set-up are described. Quantitative measurements of isotonic length changes and isometric stress generation during electrochemical stimulation are performed. An overall assessment of the PANi fibers actuative properties in wet and dry conditions is reported and possible future developments are proposed. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.