Development of dimensionally scalable IPMC materials

Recent advances in the study of electroactive polymer have created a unique opportunity to accommodate greater flexibility and new degrees of freedom in the design of soft robots. An ionic electroactive polymer, generally known as Ionic Polymer-Metal Composite (IPMC), has shown many new possibilities in soft-robotic actuation technology due to its low voltage requirement, large deformation, and omni-directional shape-changing capability. The scalable IPMC materials are made using the following process: A precursory procedure creates the SO₂F form to be used in the scalable membrane. A proper amount of the formula is put into a mold and pressed after preheating. The polymer in the SO₂F form does not have the cation-exchange capabilities and must be chemically treated to make it cation-exchangeable before the electrode-plating process. To achieve this, the membrane is hydrolyzed. In this study, we introduce a new IPMC named “UNR-IPMC”. The thickness of the UNR-IPMC is controlled upto approximately 1 mm. This paper presents the measured general properties of the UNR-IPMC including its thermal, mechanical, electrochemical, and dynamic characteristics. Additionally, a concept of twistable UNR-IPMCs, mimicking locomotion, is introduced.