Abstract
This study focuses on investigating a novel category of paper actuators, aiming to attain a favorable equilibrium between substantial electrically actuated force and extended service lifetime (Ts) for the soft electric-responsive artificial muscle. Consequently, the present research has developed an Electro-responsive Biomass Paper Actuator (ERBPA) utilizing calcium alginate hydrogel, employing absolute ethanol (CH3CH2OH) as the slow-release agent, through a straightforward and viable preparation procedure. Moreover, a comprehensive investigation was carried out on the electro-mechano-chemical behaviors and strengthening mechanism of the ERBPA with varying volume fractions of CH3CH2OH, under the electrical actuation of 4 V DC voltage. The experimental findings revealed a gradual decrease in the density of electrically actuated force, elastic modulus, and yield strength with the increasing volume fraction of CH3CH2OH. Specifically, at a volume fraction of 30%, these properties reached their respective minimum values of approximately 15.152 mN/g, 6.5 MPa, and 0.0999 MPa. In contrast to the internal resistance (Rg) of the ERBPA, the specific capacitance (Cp) and the Ts exhibited an initial improvement followed by a reduction, while the rise time (Tr) demonstrated a positive correlation with the volume fraction of CH3CH2OH but a negative correlation with the reaction velocity (Vf). Specifically, at a volume fraction of 25%, Cp, Ts and Tr reached their maximum values of 96.2 mF/g, 1287 s, and 170 s, respectively, whereas Rg and Vf attained their minimum values of 2.39 Ω and 0.044 mN/g·s, respectively. The slow-release effect of CH3CH2OH inherently contributed to the protection of certain free Ca2+ ions, thereby causing a gradual and consistent coordination process with sodium alginate molecules. This, in turn, greatly enhanced the internal structure of ERBPA, resulting in exceptional Ts stability and operational performance.
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We express our gratitude to the editorial team of Home for Researchers (www.home-for-researchers.com) for providing language editing services.
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This research is financially supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 52205301) and the Science and Technology Innovation Development Project of Jilin City (Grant No. 20230103020).
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by JY, SW, JY, ZJ, MF, TY, and KW. The first draft of the manuscript was written by JY and SW, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Yang, J., Wang, S., Yao, J. et al. Slow-release effect of absolute ethanol on electro-mechano-chemical behavior and strengthening mechanism of an electric-responsive biomass paper actuator based on calcium alginate hydrogel. Cellulose 31, 463–478 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10570-023-05630-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10570-023-05630-w