Poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene):Poly(styrene sulfonate)-Functionalized Reduced Graphene Oxide Electrode for Ionic Electroactive Polymer Actuators

Ionic electroactive polymer (IEAP) actuators, which offer advantages such as reduced device weight, flexibility, and large deformation under low voltages (1–5 V), have found utility in applications such as biomimetic robots, actuators, and sensors. In this context, in this study, we fabricate poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate)-reduced graphene oxide (PEDOT:PSS-rGO) composite paper electrodes for actuator application. PEDOT:PSS-rGO paper electrodes are prepared by vacuum filtration of a PEDOT:PSS-rGO mixture that is subsequently subjected to heat treatment under an argon atmosphere via furnace annealing. We find that a 5:1 weight ratio of PEDOT:PSS-GO provides the lowest sheet resistance. We next fabricate a PEDOT:PSS-rGO actuator via filtration and the hot-pressing method with rGO paper electrodes, which have hydrophobic properties and low liquid permeability that effectively prevents water evaporation, and we examine its actuating performance. Our results indicate that after functionalization with PEDOT:PSS, the electrical properties and surface roughness of PEDOT:PSS-rGO composite paper electrode are improved. Further, the mechanical properties of the IEAP actuator based on the PEDOT:PSS-rGO paper electrodes exhibits enhanced performance by a factor of 4 relative to an actuator with conventional rGO electrodes.