Choi Hanbin, Kim Yongchan, Kim Seonho, Kim So Young, Kim Joo Sung, Yun Eseudeo, Kweon Hyukmin, Amoli Vipin, Choi U Hyeok, Lee Hojin, Kim Do Hwan
Department of Chemical Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, 04763, Republic of Korea.
School of Electronic Engineering, Soongsil University, Seoul, 06978, Republic of Korea.
Adv Sci (Weinh). 2023 Nov;10(32):e2303838. doi: 10.1002/advs.202303838. Epub 2023 Oct 4.
Soft robotics systems are currently under development using ionic electroactive polymers (i-EAP) as soft actuators for the human-machine interface. However, this endeavor has been impeded by the dilemma of reconciling the competing demands of force and strain in i-EAP actuators. Here, the authors present a novel design called "ions-silica percolated ionic dielectric elastomer (i-SPIDER)", which exhibits ionic liquid-confined silica microstructures that effectively resolve the chronic issue of conventional i-EAP actuators. The i-SPIDER actuator demonstrates remarkable electromechanical conversion capacity at low voltage, thanks to improved ion accumulation facilitated by interpreting electrode polarization at the electrolyte-electrode interface. This approach concurrently enhances both strain (by approximately 1.52%) and force (by roughly 1.06 mN) even at low Young's modulus (merely 5.9 MPa). Additionally, by demonstrating arachnid-inspired soft robots endowed with user-desired tasks through control of various form factors, the development of soft robots using the i-SPIDER that can concomitantly enhance strain and force holds promise as a compelling avenue for ushering in the next generation of miniaturized, low-powered soft robotics.
目前正在开发使用离子型电活性聚合物（i-EAP）作为人机界面软驱动器的软机器人系统。然而，这一努力受到了i-EAP驱动器中协调力和应变相互竞争需求这一两难困境的阻碍。在此，作者提出了一种名为“离子-二氧化硅渗透离子介电弹性体（i-SPIDER）”的新颖设计，其具有离子液体限制的二氧化硅微结构，有效解决了传统i-EAP驱动器的长期问题。i-SPIDER驱动器在低电压下展现出卓越的机电转换能力，这得益于通过解释电解质-电极界面处的电极极化促进了离子积累。即使在低杨氏模量（仅5.9兆帕）的情况下，这种方法同时提高了应变（约1.52%）和力（约1.06毫牛）。此外，通过展示受蜘蛛启发的软机器人，通过控制各种外形因素赋予其用户期望的任务，使用i-SPIDER同时增强应变和力的软机器人的开发有望成为引领下一代小型化、低功耗软机器人的一条引人注目的途径。
