Comparative Analysis of Fluorinated Anions for Polypyrrole Linear Actuator Electrolytes

Nguyen Quang Khuyen; Zane Zondaka; Madis Harjo; Janno Torop; Tarmo Tamm; Rudolf Kiefer

doi:10.3390/polym11050849

Comparative Analysis of Fluorinated Anions for Polypyrrole Linear Actuator Electrolytes

Polymers (Basel). 2019 May 10;11(5):849. doi: 10.3390/polym11050849.

Authors

Nguyen Quang Khuyen¹, Zane Zondaka², Madis Harjo³, Janno Torop⁴, Tarmo Tamm⁵, Rudolf Kiefer⁶

Affiliations

¹ Conducting Polymers in Composites and Applications Research Group, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. nguyenquangkhuyen@tdtu.edu.vn.
² Intelligent Materials and Systems Lab, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Tartu, Nooruse 1, 50411 Tartu, Estonia. zane.zondaka@ut.ee.
³ Intelligent Materials and Systems Lab, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Tartu, Nooruse 1, 50411 Tartu, Estonia. madis.harjo@gmail.com.
⁴ Intelligent Materials and Systems Lab, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Tartu, Nooruse 1, 50411 Tartu, Estonia. jantor@ut.ee.
⁵ Intelligent Materials and Systems Lab, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Tartu, Nooruse 1, 50411 Tartu, Estonia. tarmo.tamm@ut.ee.
⁶ Conducting Polymers in Composites and Applications Research Group, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. rudolf.kiefer@tdtu.edu.vn.

Abstract

Either as salts or room temperature ionic liquids, fluorinated anion-based electrolytes have been a common choice for ionic electroactive polymer actuators, both linear and bending. In the present work, propylene carbonate solutions of four electrolytes of the three hugely popular anions-triflouromethanesulfonate, bis(trifluoromethane)sulfonimide, and hexafluorophosphate were compared and evaluated in polypyrrole linear actuators. The actuation direction, the characteristics-performance relations influence the behavior of the actuators. Isotonic Electro-chemo-mechanical deformation (ECMD) measurements were performed to study the response of the PPy/DBS samples. The highest strain for pristine PPy/DBS linear actuators was found in range of 21% for LiTFSI, while TBAPF₆ had the least cation involvement, suggesting the potential for application in durable and controllable actuators. Interesting cation effects on the actuation of the same anions (CF₃SO₃^-) were also observed.

Keywords: PPy/DBS; actuation direction; four different electrolytes; isotonic ECMD; linear actuators.

Grants and funding

PUT-1149 and IUT20-24/Estonian Research Council Grants