Manufacturing process for patterned IPMC actuator with millimeter thickness

As a kind of soft actuation materials, Ionic polymer-metal composites (IPMCs), displaying an excellent capability of converting electrical energy to mechanical energy, are promising applications in robotics and medical devices. In this paper, we introduce a millimeter thickness IPMC actuator with a new patterned configuration. Firstly, a perfluorinated ion exchange membrane with millimeter thickness is fabricated by solution casting process. And then, in order to achieve complex deformation of IPMC actuator, a novel method that rapidly patterns the multiple electrodes and minimizes the damage of the membrane is developed. Finally, initial performances of thick patterned IPMC are measured and characterized by a visual system. The study reveals that multi degree of freedom (MDOF) deformation is implemented successfully by the IPMC with patterned configuration.