Cellulose-chitosan blend electroactive paper actuator

초록

Cellulose based Electro-Active Paper (EAPap) has been reported as a smart material that has merits in terms of lightweight, dry condition, biodegradability, sustainability, large displacement output and low actuation voltage. However, its actuator performance is sensitive to humidity: its maximum bending performance was shown at high humidity condition. To overcome this drawback, we introduce an EAPap made with cellulose and chitosan blend. Cellulsoe-chitosan blend films with varied mixing ratio were prepared by dissolving the polymers in trifluoroacetic acid as a co-solvent followed by spincoating onto glass substrates. A bending EAPap actuator is made by depositing thin gold electrodes on both sides of the cellulose-chitosan films. The performance of the EAPap actuator is evaluated in terms of free bending displacement with respect to the actuation frequency, activation voltage, humidity level and content of chitosan. The actuation principle is also discussed.