MXene Enhanced the Electromechanical Performance of a Nafion-Based Actuator

Abstract

Ionic electroactive polymer-based actuators have attracted much attention due to their low potential stimuli. In this work, MXene–Nafion composite actuators were fabricated, and the actuation performances were tested. The morphology of the as-made MXene–Nafion composite showed that the composite membrane was homogeneous, with an MXene doping level up to 5 wt%. In addition, the results of blocked force, response speed, and durability demonstrated that the actuation behavior of the composite-based actuator was enhanced due to the efficient dispersion of the two-dimensional nanofiller MXene. In addition, the blocking force of the composite actuator with a doping level of 0.5 wt% was about 6 times that of the pure Nafion without back-relaxation and durability degradation during the testing period.