Electrochemical Properties and Electromechanical Analysis of a Stacked Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Gel Actuator
Abstract
We investigated the electrochemical properties of and conducted an electromechanical analysis on a stacked polyvinyl chloride (PVC) gel actuator, comprising a PVC gel plasticized with dibutyl adipate (DBA) sandwiched between a metal mesh and a metal disk electrode. In this study, we examined the electrochemical impedance, displacement, and electric current responses to square-wave voltage inputs. The linear motion of PVC gel actuators with and without ionic liquid (IL) additives was analyzed in relation to the mesh size and metal composition of the mesh electrode. The displacement increased with decreasing mesh numbers, indicating that displacement increases with increasing wire diameter and space length. The linear motion of the stacked PVC gel actuators with and without IL additives depended on the metal species of the mesh electrodes. The electrochemical impedance of the stacked PVC gel actuators under DC voltage application was analyzed with and without the IL. Based on the electromechanical and electrochemical results, a deformation model was developed to describe the linear motion of stacked PVC gel actuators in response to the applied voltage. The model attributed this motion to the deformation induced by Maxwell stress in the solvent-rich layer, successfully accounting for the experimental observations.
Date
01-08-2025Author
Kinji Asaka
Zicai Zhu
Minoru Hashimoto