title: Microporous and mesoporous carbide-derived carbons for strain modification of electromechanical actuators.
abstract: Low-voltage stimuli-responsive actuators based on carbide-derived carbon (CDC) porous structures were demonstrated. Bending actuators showed a differential electromechanical response defined by the porosity of the CDC used in the electrode layer. Highly porous CDCs prepared from TiC (mainly microporous), B4C (micromesoporous), and Mo2C (mainly mesoporous) precursors were selected to demonstrate the influence of porosity parameters on the electromechanical performance of actuators. CDC-based bending-type actuators showed a porosity-driven displacement response over a frequency range of 200 to 0.005 Hz at an applied excitation voltage of ±2 V. The displacement response of the CDC actuators increased with an increasing number of mesopores in the electrode layer, and the generated strain of the bending actuators was proportional to the total porosity (micropores and mesopores) of the CDC. The modifiable electromechanical response that arises from the precise porosity control attained through tailoring the CDC architecture demonstrates that these actuators hold great promise for smart, low-voltage-driven actuation devices.
authors.affiliation: IMS Lab, Institute of Technology, University of Tartu , Nooruse 1, 50411 Tartu, Estonia.
authors.forename: Janno
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Torop
authors.forename: Mati
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arulepp
authors.forename: Takushi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sugino
authors.forename: Kinji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Asaka
authors.forename: Alar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jänes
authors.forename: Enn
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lust
authors.forename: Alvo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aabloo
mesh_terms: D002244:Carbon / Q000737:chemistry*; D004566:Electrodes; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D016062:Porosity
chemical_list: D002244:Carbon