Abstract
Polymer actuators are attracting considerable interest due to their special characteristics, including high flexibility and low weight. Ionic polymer-metal composite (IPMC) are polymer actuators that exhibit remarkable bending at driving voltages lower than 2 or 3 V. They have the potential to be used as soft robotic actuators. IPMC consists of a thin ion-exchange membrane with noble metal electrodes formed on both surfaces. Highly durable IPMCs will be fabricated using an electroless chemical plating technique to form metal electrodes. In this research, we have been developed a fabrication method of IPMC with patterned electrode which will be capable of a peristaltic movement. In this paper, we describe a fabrication method for patterning electrodes by the electroless chemical plating technique with SF_6 plasma treatment and the results of performance evaluation of IPMC with SF_6 plasma treatment.
