An innovative processing strategy for fabricating soft structures that possess electric- and humidity-driven active/passive actuation capabilities along with touch- and humidity-sensing properties is reported. The intrinsically multifunctional material comprises an active thin layer of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly-(styrene sulfonate) in a double-layered structure with a silicone elastomer and provides an opportunity toward developing a new class of smart structures for soft robotics.
Keywords: conducting polymers; hygromorphic materials; poly(3,4ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate; soft actuators; stimuli-responsive materials.
© 2015 The Authors. Published by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.