Development of sulfonated poly(vinyl alcohol)/aluminium oxide/graphene based ionic polymer-metal composite (IPMC) actuator

A novel ionic polymer-metal composite (IPMC) actuator based on the ionomeric composite film composed of sulfonated poly(vinyl alcohol)/aluminium oxide/graphene/platinum (SPVA-Al-GR-Pt) was successfully developed. The SPVA-Al-GR films were prepared by solution casting strategy followed by electroding with platinum using electroless plating or chemical reduction method. The SPVA-Al-GR films showed good ion-exchange capacity (1.8 meq g−1 of the dry film) and water uptake (125% at 45 °C for 10 h of drenching time). Moderate solvent (water) loss, good proton conductivity, stability at higher temperatures and electromechanical properties of proposed IPMC actuator places itself as a promising alternative to conventional polymer based IPMC actuators. By building up a small scale holding framework, it was demonstrated that this IPMC actuator can be utilized as a part of miniaturized scale mechanical devices.