Self-sensing ionic polymer-metal composite actuating device with patterned surface electrodes

Electroactive polymers are materials that change their properties (e.g. size and shape) while stimulated by an electric field/current. Conversely, they produce an electrical signal if bent. As both actuators and sensors, they are considered attractive for various applications, e.g. in biomedicine and robotics. Self-sensing actuatorsmade of these materials are still a topic of great interest among researchers. This paper proposes a new self-sensing ionic polymer–metal composite (IPMC) actuating device. By specially patterning the opposite metal electrodes of an IPMC strip, an actuator and a sensor are formed on a single piece of thematerial. Self-sensitivity is attained by measuring the changing resistance of the sensor part of the structure. This paper introduces the methods for patterning the surface of an IPMC strip and measuring the resistance change during the actuator work cycle, and gives experimental evidence of the suitability of the proposed method for the realization of a smart motion actuator.