title: Electromechanical actuation of composite material from carbon nanotubes and ionomeric polymer.
abstract: An actuating system composed of nafion ionomeric polymer coated with single-walled carbon nanotubes electrodes was studied as an electromechanical actuator. The actuator gives a sizable mechanical response to low voltages (turn-on voltage of approximately 2.5 V) under open-air conditions, i.e., in the absence of a surrounding supporting electrolyte. The actuator is active under both dc and ac bias and has a strong resonance at low frequencies which is dependent upon the size of the actuator. The actuator was studied using Fourier transform infrared and vis-NIR spectroscopies, cyclic voltammetry, and by the current-time response under an applied step voltage. An analytical model is proposed to understand the electrical behavior, which is consistent with the spectroscopic results.
authors.affiliation: Emitech Inc., Fall River, Massachusetts 02720, USA.
authors.forename: I A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Levitsky
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kanelos
authors.forename: William B
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Euler