title: Large-Deformation Curling Actuators Based on Carbon Nanotube Composite: Advanced-Structure Design and Biomimetic Application.
abstract: In recent years, electroactive polymers have been developed as actuator materials. As an important branch of electroactive polymers, electrothermal actuators (ETAs) demonstrate potential applications in the fields of artificial muscles, biomimetic devices, robotics, and so on. Large-shape deformation, low-voltage-driven actuation, and ultrafast fabrication are critical to the development of ETA. However, a simultaneous optimization of all of these advantages has not been realized yet. Practical biomimetic applications are also rare. In this work, we introduce an ultrafast approach to fabricate a curling actuator based on a newly designed carbon nanotube and polymer composite, which completely realizes all of the above required advantages. The actuator shows an ultralarge curling actuation with a curvature greater than 1.0 cm(-1) and bending angle larger than 360°, even curling into a tubular structure. The driving voltage is down to a low voltage of 5 V. The remarkable actuation is attributed not only to the mismatch in the coefficients of thermal expansion but also to the mechanical property changes of materials during temperature change. We also construct an S-shape actuator to show the possibility of building advanced-structure actuators. A weightlifting walking robot is further designed that exhibits a fast-moving motion while lifting a sample heavier than itself, demonstrating promising biomimetic applications.
authors.affiliation: Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Quantum Manipulation and New Energy Materials, College of Physics and Energy, Fujian Normal University , Fuzhou 350007, China.
authors.forename: Luzhuo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Quantum Manipulation and New Energy Materials, College of Physics and Energy, Fujian Normal University , Fuzhou 350007, China.
authors.forename: Mingcen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Weng
authors.affiliation: Tsinghua-Foxconn Nanotechnology Research Center and Department of Physics, Tsinghua University , Beijing 100084, China.
authors.forename: Zhiwei
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Tsinghua-Foxconn Nanotechnology Research Center and Department of Physics, Tsinghua University , Beijing 100084, China.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Quantum Manipulation and New Energy Materials, College of Physics and Energy, Fujian Normal University , Fuzhou 350007, China.
authors.forename: Lingling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Quantum Manipulation and New Energy Materials, College of Physics and Energy, Fujian Normal University , Fuzhou 350007, China.
authors.forename: Jiaxin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Quantum Manipulation and New Energy Materials, College of Physics and Energy, Fujian Normal University , Fuzhou 350007, China.
authors.forename: Zhigao
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Quantum Manipulation and New Energy Materials, College of Physics and Energy, Fujian Normal University , Fuzhou 350007, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Tsinghua-Foxconn Nanotechnology Research Center and Department of Physics, Tsinghua University , Beijing 100084, China.
authors.forename: Changhong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Tsinghua-Foxconn Nanotechnology Research Center and Department of Physics, Tsinghua University , Beijing 100084, China.
authors.forename: Shoushan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fan
mesh_terms: D040761:Biomimetic Materials / Q000737:chemistry*; D032701:Biomimetics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D006358:Hot Temperature; D053761:Nanocomposites / Q000737:chemistry*; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000295:instrumentation*; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon
keywords: actuator; biomimetic; carbon nanotube; composite; electrothermal