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Zhang J, Jing Q, Wade T, Xu Z, Ives L, Zhang D, Baumberg JJ, Kar-Narayan S. Controllable Multimodal Actuation in Fully Printed Ultrathin Micro-Patterned Electrochemical Actuators. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2024; 16:6485-6494. [PMID: 38266382 PMCID: PMC10859886 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c19006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Revised: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
Submillimeter or micrometer scale electrically controlled soft actuators have immense potential in microrobotics, haptics, and biomedical applications. However, the fabrication of miniaturized and micropatterned open-air soft actuators has remained challenging. In this study, we demonstrate the microfabrication of trilayer electrochemical actuators (ECAs) through aerosol jet printing (AJP), a rapid prototyping method with a 10 μm lateral resolution. We make fully printed 1000 × 5000 × 12 μm3 ultrathin ECAs, each of which comprises a Nafion electrolyte layer sandwiched between two poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) electrode layers. The ECAs actuate due to the electric-field-driven migration of hydrated protons. Due to the thinness that gives rise to a low proton transport length and a low flexural rigidity, the printed ECAs can operate under low voltages (∼0.5 V) and have a relatively fast response (∼seconds). We print all the components of an actuator that consists of two individually controlled submillimeter segments and demonstrate its multimodal actuation. The convenience, versatility, rapidity, and low cost of our microfabrication strategy promise future developments in integrating arrays of intricately patterned individually controlled soft microactuators on compact stretchable electronic circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji Zhang
- Department
of Materials Science & Metallurgy, University
of Cambridge, 27 Charles Babbage Road, Cambridge CB3 0FS, U.K.
- NanoPhotonics
Centre, Cavendish Laboratory, University
of Cambridge, JJ Thomson
Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE, U.K.
| | - Qingshen Jing
- Department
of Materials Science & Metallurgy, University
of Cambridge, 27 Charles Babbage Road, Cambridge CB3 0FS, U.K.
- James
Watt School of Engineering, University of
Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8LT, U.K.
| | - Tom Wade
- Department
of Materials Science & Metallurgy, University
of Cambridge, 27 Charles Babbage Road, Cambridge CB3 0FS, U.K.
| | - Zhencheng Xu
- Department
of Materials Science & Metallurgy, University
of Cambridge, 27 Charles Babbage Road, Cambridge CB3 0FS, U.K.
| | - Liam Ives
- Department
of Materials Science & Metallurgy, University
of Cambridge, 27 Charles Babbage Road, Cambridge CB3 0FS, U.K.
| | - Diandian Zhang
- Department
of Materials Science & Metallurgy, University
of Cambridge, 27 Charles Babbage Road, Cambridge CB3 0FS, U.K.
| | - Jeremy J. Baumberg
- NanoPhotonics
Centre, Cavendish Laboratory, University
of Cambridge, JJ Thomson
Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE, U.K.
| | - Sohini Kar-Narayan
- Department
of Materials Science & Metallurgy, University
of Cambridge, 27 Charles Babbage Road, Cambridge CB3 0FS, U.K.
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Electro-emissive device based on novel PANI/Au composite films with neoteric mosaic structure for infrared stealth and thermal radiation control. Electrochim Acta 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.electacta.2021.138891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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