The blended ion exchange membrane between Nafion and ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH) was used for fabrication of the ionic polymer–metal composite (IPMC) to redeem inherent drawbacks of Nafion such as high cost or environment-unfriendliness. EVOH solution was blended in Nafion solution by a volume ratio of 15 and 30 % membranes were prepared through solution casting method. The prepared blended Nafion membranes can be fabricated IPMCs with deposition of platinum electrode onto its surface without crack or delamination. The surface resistance of all prepared IPMCs is measured through 2 point probe. This study investigated the chemical structure and thermal properties of prepared membranes. Moreover, we characterized the cross-section morphology and studied the electromechanical performances (displacement and blocking force) of prepared IPMC actuators. The IPMC actuators with proposed blended Nafion membranes were demonstrated comparable electromechanical performance by significantly reducing the content of Nafion.

Date Published: 22 June 2016
PDF: 1 pages
Proc. SPIE 9798, Electroactive Polymer Actuators and Devices (EAPAD) 2016, 979820 (22 June 2016); doi: 10.1117/12.2220448

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 9798:
Electroactive Polymer Actuators and Devices (EAPAD) 2016
Yoseph Bar-Cohen; Frédéric Vidal, Editor(s)