Functionalisation of metal-polymer-nanocomposites: Chemoelectromechanical coupling and charge carrier transport

In order to exploit the full potential of these nanocomposite actuators, a detailed understanding of the underlying ion transport mechanisms and means to predict the actuator's response are necessary. We present an interface-extended continuum mechanical model to study actuation in pure nanoporous gold and nanoporous gold-polypyrrole nanocomposites. Simulations predict significantly enhanced actuation strains due to the presence of the polymer phase and show that both, the nanocomposite's structure and the ions' mobilities, greatly affect the actuator's response.