Abstract
An ionic polymer-metal composite (IPMC) consisting of a thin perfuorinated ionomer membrane, electrodes plated on both faces, undergoes large bending motion when a small electric field is applied across its thickness in a hydrated state. The characteristics of IPMC are ease of miniaturization, low density, and mechanical flexibility. Therefore, it is considered to have a wide range of applications from MEMS sensor to artificial muscle. The deformation characteristics of IPMC actuator depend mainly on driving environment. Therefore, it is necessary to develop the model of IPMC actuator that considers the environmental condition. In this paper, we focus on the effect of solution temperature and ion species that affect the deformation response of IPMC actuator. Based on the finite element analysis, the deformation behavior of IPMC actuator was simulated and compared with the experimental results.
