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Engineering electrochemical actuators with large bending strain based on 3D-structure titanium carbide MXene composites

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Abstract

Electrically responsive electrochemical actuators that contain a polymer electrolyte membrane laminated between two electrodes have attracted great attention due to their potential applications in smart electronics, wearable devices, and soft robotics. However, some challenges such as the achievement of large bending strain under low applied voltage and fast ion diffusion and accumulation still exist to be resolved. The key to the solution lies in the choice of electrode materials and the design of electrode structures. In this study, an engineering electrochemical actuator that presents large bending strain under low applied voltage based on MXene/polystyrene-MXene hybrid electrodes is developed. The developed electrochemical actuator based on the MXene/polystyrene-MXene 3D-structure is found to exhibit large bending strain (ca. 1.18%), broad frequency bandwidth, good durability (90% retention after 10,000 cycles) and considerable Young’s modulus (ca. 246 MPa). The high-performance actuation mainly stems from the excellent properties of MXene and 3D-structure of the electrode. The MXene provides excellent mechanical strength and high electrical conductivity which facilitate strong interaction and rapid electron transfer in electrodes. The 3D architectures formed by polystyrene microspheres generate unimpeded ion pathways for ionic short diffusion and fast injection. This study reveals that the 3D-structure hybrid electrodes play a crucial role in promoting the performance of such electrochemical actuators.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Key Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2018YFA0208403), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 51861165103, 11832010, 11890682, and 21721002), and the Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant Nos. XDB36000000 and XDB30020100).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, CAS Key Laboratory of Nanosystem and Hierarchical Fabrication, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, Beijing, 100190, China

    Tong Wang, Tianjiao Wang, Chuanxin Weng, Luqi Liu, Jun Zhao & Zhong Zhang

  2. University of Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, 100049, China

    Tong Wang, Tianjiao Wang, Jun Zhao & Zhong Zhang

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  1. Tong Wang
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  2. Tianjiao Wang
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  3. Chuanxin Weng
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  4. Luqi Liu
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  5. Jun Zhao
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  6. Zhong Zhang
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Correspondence to Jun Zhao or Zhong Zhang.

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Wang, T., Wang, T., Weng, C. et al. Engineering electrochemical actuators with large bending strain based on 3D-structure titanium carbide MXene composites. Nano Res. 14, 2277–2284 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-020-3222-x

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