Preparation and Actuation of Electro-Active Artificial Muscle Based on Sulfonated SEBS

Abstract

In this study, electro-active artificial muscle was developed based on sulfonated poly (styrene-b-(ethylene-co-butylene)-b-styrene) (S-SEBS). The S-SEBS membrane was prepared by a solution casting method using THF as solvent. The physical properties were tested in terms of ion-exchange capacity, water uptake and linear expansion. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) was used to study the composition of S-SEBS. The results showed that the S-SEBS exhibited electro-active property with blocking force about 2.3gf/g.