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Comparative Displacement Study Of Bilayer Actuators Comprising Of Conducting Polymers, Fabricated From Polypyrrole, Poly(3,4- Ethylenedioxythiophene) Or Poly(3,4-Propylenedioxythiophene), Babita Gaihre, Syed Ashraf, Geoffrey M. Spinks, Peter C. Innis, Gordon G. Wallace

Gordon Wallace

The stress gradient generated due to electrochemical oxidation/reduction of a conducting polymer in a bilayer actuator causes a bending movement. Here we report a comparative study of the displacement of bilayer actuators prepared using different conducting polymers. The effects of conducting polymers obtained from electrochemical or chemical synthesis route: different polymers (polypyrrole (PPy), poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) PEDOT and poly(3,3-dihexyl-3-4-dihydro-2H-thieno[3,4b][1,4]-dioxepine [PProDOT(Hx) 2]); and different electrolytes (0.1 M lithium trifluromethanesulfonate/propylenecarbonate (LiTFSI/PC) and 1-ethyl-3-methyl imidazolium trifluromethanesulfonate (EMITFSI)) on the displacement amplitude and displacement patterns of these actuators were investigated and compared. The results indicate that the bilayer actuator consisting of an electrochemically synthesized conducting polymer …