A novel fabrication of ionic polymer-metal composites (IPMC) actuator with silver nano-powders

This article reports a novel approach of applying silver nano-powders to the fabrication of ionic polymer-metal composites (IPMC) actuator with good adhesion between the electrodes and membrane without surface roughening pretreatment at low cost, high repeatability and short process time. Micro-fabrication technologies are used for this IPMC actuator fabrication including the dissolving and casting silver nano-particles (35 nm) in Nation diluted solution followed embossing, nontoxic electroless plating of silver, and micro-electroforming of nickel. This IPMC actuator exhibits large deformation of bending curvature angle more than 90 degrees at lower driving voltage of 3 V The electronic active polymer, IPMC, could be potentially used as the actuator of the active guide-wire, effective biomimetic sensor and artificial muscles.