Preparation and actuation performance study of IPMC based on reduced graphene oxide-chitosan composite membrane

Ionic Polymer-Metal Composite (IPMC), as a typical electroactive polymer, has broad application prospects in flexible actuators, bionic robots, and micro-electromechanical systems. However, traditional Nafion-based IPMCs are costly and have limited mechanical properties. In this study, chitosan (CS) was used as the matrix, and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) was introduced to construct rGO-CS composite ion-exchange membranes. The IPMC actuator is fabricated by pressing a silver foil onto a chitosan-based membrane through heat treatment. The results showed that the introduction of rGO significantly enhanced the mechanical strength and continuity of the conductive channels of the composite membrane, as well as improved the water retention ability and ion migration efficiency, thereby enhancing the bending deformation ability and output force of IPMC. This research provides a new idea for the design of low-cost and biobased IPMC materials.