Fabrication, characteristics and electrical model of an ionic polymer metal-carbon nanotube composite

We develop an ionic polymer metal-carbon nanotube composite (IPMCC) actuator composed of a multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)/Nafion membrane sandwiched between two hybrid electrodes, composed of palladium, platinum and MWCNTs. The surface morphology and cross-sectional structure of the metal-carbon nanotube hybrid electrode were observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). SEM investigation indicated that the MWCNT layer can adhere very well with the platinum–palladium metal electrode, fill the cracks in the metal surface, and prevent the oxidation of nanoscale platinum particles. These observations show that the surface resistance of the total electrode is retained and the stability of electrode property is maintained. The displacement, blocking force and nonlinear current versus voltage (V–I) characteristics were measured. Compared with an ionic polymer metal composite (IPMC), the IPMCC shows a more stable displacement and blocking force under 1, 1.2 and 2 V at 0.1 Hz, and 2.34–3.29 times higher effective air-operating time under 3 V at 0.1 Hz. It can be observed from the V–I characteristics that the change in shape becomes significant at amplitudes higher than 1.2 V. An equivalent circuit is used to model the nonlinear behavior of the IPMCC, in which the leakage current was taken into account and analyzed. The values of the components in the circuit are estimated and electrical behavior is simulated by using the Pspice software. Compared with the model with no consideration of the leakage current, the simulations obtained by the model considering leakage current showed better agreement with the experimental results. The impressive leakage current (20 mA), which is successfully simulated by the proposed model with the nonlinear circuit, is shown to play an important role in the total current.