Development and characterization of single wall carbon nanotube-Nafion composite actuators

The development and characterization of thin film polymeric actuators has been performed for single wall carbon nanotube (SWNT)-Nafion composite systems. Previous work in our laboratory illustrated that incorporation of highly conductive SWNTs into an ionomeric matrix promoted an actuation response by enhancing the electro-osmotic effect at relatively low doping levels, ∼0.1% (w/w). Further investigation has shown the effects of frequency and applied voltage on the composite bimorph actuator systems. The results indicate a displacement response that is linearly dependent on voltage and inverse to frequency.