ELABORATION, ELECTROCHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION AND MOTION STUDY OF A THREE-LAYER ACTUATOR

Abstract

In this work is presented the development of a biofilm with semiconducting properties, derived from cassava starch and plasticizers such as glycerin and glutaraldehyde and doped with lithium perchlorate, which provided the electrical and mechanical properties needed to achieve the desired motion. Electrochemically synthesized polypyrrole (PPy) was used in order to obtain the outer layers to constitute a three-layer actuator (PPy / biofilm / PPy) able to react to electrical stimulus and operate in air. Differents recurrent potentials were administered to the device generating the oxidation and reduction processes in the PPy, easing the movement of the actuator as a whole. In order to describe some of its properties, the actuator was characterized by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. Furthermore, a study of the trilayer muscle deflection angle was performed, considering the responses to electrical pulses.