Aligned nano-porous microwave exfoliated graphite oxide ionic actuators with high strain and elastic energy density

High-Performance Hierarchical Black-Phosphorous-Based Soft Electrochemical Actuators in Bioinspired Applications

Bioinspired methods allowing artificial actuators to perform controllably are potentially important for various principles and may offer fundamental insight into chemistry and engineering. To date, the main challenges persist regarding the achievement of large deformation in fast response-time and potential-engineering applications in which electrode materials and structures limit ion diffusion and accumulation processes. Herein, a novel electrochemical actuator is developed that presents both higher electromechanical performances and biomimetic applications based on hierachically structured covalently bridged black phosphorous/carbon nanotubes. The new actuator demonstrates astonishing actuation properties, including low power consumption/strain (0.04 W cm^-2 %^-1 ), a large peak-to-peak strain (1.67%), a controlled frequency response (0.1-20 Hz), faster strain and stress rates (11.57% s^-1 ; 28.48 MPa s^-1 ), high power (29.11 kW m^-3 ), and energy (8.48 kJ m^-3 ) densities, and excellent cycling stability (500 000 cycles). More importantly, bioinspired applications such as artificial-claw, wings-vibrating, bionic-flower, and hand actuators have been realized. The key to high performances stems from hierachically structured materials with an ordered lamellar structure, large redox activity, and electrochemical capacitance (321.4 F g^-1 ) for ions with smooth diffusion and flooding accommodation, which will guide substantial progress of next-generation electrochemical actuators.

High performance supercapacitor under extremely low environmental temperature

A supercapacitor cell, consisting of highly aligned nano-porous graphene electrodes with an eutectic mixture of ionic liquids BMPBF₄ in BMIBF₄ as electrolyte, exhibits a high capacitance performance over a temperature range from −50 °C to 80 °C.

Highly strong and elastic graphene fibres prepared from universal graphene oxide precursors

Graphene fibres are continuously prepared from universal graphene oxide precursors by a novel hydrogel-assisted spinning method. With assistance of a rolling process, meters of ribbon-like GFs, or GRs with improved conductivity, tensile strength, and a long-range ordered compact layer structure are successfully obtained. Furthermore, we refined our spinning process to obtained elastic GRs with a mixing microstructure and exceptional elasticity, which may provide a platform for electronic skins and wearable electronics, sensors, and energy devices.