Dopants Effect on the Conductive Polymer Performances, Used for Artificial Muscles

Conductive polymers are good candidates for artificial muscles, considered in microactuators structures with two polymer plates joined by a solid electrolyte. Dopants are essential for the actuating mechanism, considering a oxidation or a reduction process with exchange of anions / cations with the electrolyte. These processes are controlled by different parameters, like the relative diameter of the ions, the used electrolyte and the relative interaction forces solvent-ion, solvent-polymer, polymer-ions and polymer-polymer. For the two classes of dopants, the energy conversion efficiency was calculated based on the data obtained by simulation methods, using the microactuator structure reproduction, with help of the HFSS program (by Ansys). The efficiency can vary between about 20…40%, in function of molar ratios (0.1…0.4) and anions / cations ion radii. These parameters can be optimized analyzing a polyvalent evolution of the efficiency, in function of pairs of correlated parameters, which characterize the structure. Discussion is open in order to choose the practical meaning of the optimizing process, for recommending the optimal conductive polymer composition, used for actuation.