Electromechanical properties of Nafion/carbon nanotube composites enhanced by black phosphorus

Ionic polymer-Carbon nanotube composite (IPCC) actuators based on black phosphorus (BP)-Nafion composite membranes were fabricated. BP-Nafion composite was used as the ionic matrix with functional carbon nanotube as electrodes. BP presents as a promising material owing to its high charge mobility using in energy storage materials. It was used in Nafion composite improving the electromechanical properties of BP-Nafion composite. Significantly the interaction between BP and lithium ion was strong which restricted the back diffusion of cation during action and thus enhanced the deformation of actuator without back-relaxation. In addition, layer crystal structure of BP protected the inter-lamellar liquid from evaporation thus ensured the durability. The result IPCC actuator exhibited improvement actuation with blocking force of 2 wt.% BP-Nafion composite of 33.6 gf g−1 for 30s under an electrical field of 2 V, 2.7 times that of neat Nafion. Actuation behavior under AC field could be repeatedly played hundreds of cycles without obvious decrease of blocking force for BP-Nafion composite-based IPCC.