Electrical stimuli-induced deformation and material properties of electro-active polymer Nafion117

The material properties of Nafion117 in water are investigated through experiments and finite-element analysis (FEA) to derive parameters for use in future FEA studies of the coupling diffusion of water and structural mechanics of EAPs in aqueous solution. The deformation behavior of Nafion117 in distilled water under the application of an electric potential is examined experimentally to clarify the relationships between applied voltage, current and deformation. The water content in wet Nafion117 and the coefficient of linear expansion due to water absorption are found experimentally to be 0.434 [(mm3)aq/(mm3)dp] and 0.243 [(mm3)dp/(mm3)aq]. Through experiments and corresponding FEA simulations on the free vibration of a Nafion117 cantilever in distilled water and a gold-plated cantilever, the Young's modulus and β coefficient of Rayleigh damping are found to be 7.0 MPa and 0.02 s, respectively.