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Electroactive Polymers and Gels

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A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2017) | Viewed by 51123

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Jodie Lutkenhaus

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Guest Editor

Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
Interests: polymer thin films coatings; electroactive polymers; polyelectrolytes; energy storage

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Electroactive polymers and gels are a fascinating class of materials that exhibit electrochemical activity in a soft matter platform. Potential applications of electroactive polymers and gels include flexible or stretchable energy storage, biosensors and biomaterials, soft electronics, and more. The materials themselves may include conjugated polymers, organic radical polymers, ion-conducting polymers, metal-containing polymers, or hybrid inorganic/organic motifs.

Prof. Dr. Jodie Lutkenhaus
Guest Editor

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Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Electroactive polymer
Electroactive gels
Conjugated polymer
Organic radical polymer
Polyelectrolyte
Ionomer
Metal-containing polymer
Hydrogel
Composite
Energy storage
Batteries
Capacitors
Electronics
Sensors
Electronics

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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6327 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Influence of Temperature on the Electromechanical Properties of Ionic Liquid-Doped Ionic Polymer-Metal Composite Actuators

by Abdallah Almomani, Wangyujue Hong, Wei Hong and Reza Montazami

Polymers 2017, 9(8), 358; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym9080358 - 12 Aug 2017

Cited by 22 | Viewed by 9216

Abstract

Ionic polymer-metal composite (IPMC) actuators have considerable potential for a wide range of applications. Although IPMC actuators are widely studied for their electromechanical properties, most studies have been conducted at the ambient conditions. The electromechanical performance of IPMC actuators at higher temperature is still far from understood. In this study, the effect of temperature on the electromechanical behavior (the rate of deformation and curvature) and electrochemical behavior (current flow) of ionic liquid doped IPMC actuators are examined and reported. Both electromechanical and electrochemical studies were conducted in air at temperatures ranging from 25 °C to 90 °C. Electromechanically, the actuators showed lower cationic curvature with increasing temperature up to 70 °C and a slower rate of deformation with increasing temperature up to 50 °C. A faster rate of deformation was recorded at temperatures higher than 50 °C, with a maximum rate at 60 °C. The anionic response showed a lower rate of deformation and a higher anionic curvature with increasing temperatures up to 50 °C with an abrupt increase in the rate of deformation and decrease of curvature at 60 °C. In both cationic and anionic responses, actuators started to lose functionality and show unpredictable performance for temperatures greater than 60 °C, with considerable fluctuations at 70 °C. Electrochemically, the current flow across the actuators was increased gradually with increasing temperature up to 80 °C during the charging and discharging cycles. A sudden increase in current flow was recorded at 90 °C indicating a shorted circuit and actuator failure. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electroactive Polymers and Gels)

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24576 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Fabrication and Test of an Inflated Circular Diaphragm Dielectric Elastomer Generator Based on PDMS Rubber Composite

by Giacomo Moretti, Michele Righi, Rocco Vertechy and Marco Fontana

Polymers 2017, 9(7), 283; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym9070283 - 15 Jul 2017

Cited by 44 | Viewed by 9616

Abstract

This paper introduces a fabrication method and the experimental characterization of a soft polymeric energy converter manufactured using a combination of dielectric and conductive polydimethylsiloxane elastomers. The presented system is an inflated circular diaphragm dielectric elastomer generator; i.e., a deformable electrostatic transducer that converts the mechanical work done by a time-varying pressure into electricity. A prototype of the system is realized on the basis of a simple fabrication procedure that makes use of commercially available silicone dielectric elastomer films and custom-prepared deformable conductive electrodes. A test-bench is developed and employed to estimate the energy conversion performance. Remarkable results are obtained, such as an amount of energy converted per cycle of up to 0.3 J, converted power of up to 0.15 W, energy per unit of employed elastomer mass of up to 173 J/kg, and fraction of the input mechanical work converted into electricity of 30%. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electroactive Polymers and Gels)

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4165 KiB

Open AccessArticle

β-Cyclodextrin Modified Poly(Acrylonitrule-co-Acrylic Acid) Hydrogel for Thorium(IV) Adsorption

by Guojian Duan, Qiangqiang Zhong, Lei Bi, Liu Yang, Tonghuan Liu, Xiaoning Shi and Wangsuo Wu

Polymers 2017, 9(6), 201; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym9060201 - 31 May 2017

Cited by 31 | Viewed by 6360 | Correction

Abstract

In this report, the β-CD(AN-co-AA) hydrogel was used to remove the thorium(IV) [Th(IV)] from the water system, and the new adsorbent was characterized through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The influences of contact time, pH value, ionic strength, solid-liquid ratio, initial Th(IV) concentration, and temperature on Th(IV) adsorption onto the functional hydrogel were researched. The results showed that the experimental data followed the Langmuir isotherm and the maximum adsorption capacity (q_max) for Th(IV) was 692 mg/g at pH 2.95, which approached the calculated (q_e) 682 mg/g. The desorption capacity of Th(IV) in different HNO₃ concentrations ranging from 0.005 to 0.5 M was also studied, and the percentage of the maximum desorption was 86.85% in the condition of 0.09 M HNO₃. The selectivity of β-CD(AN-co-AA) hydrogel was also be studied, the results indicated that this material retained the good adsorption capacity to Th(IV) even when the Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, or Pb²⁺ existed in the system. The findings indicate that β-CD(AN-co-AA) can be used as a new candidate for the enrichment and separation of Th(IV), or its analogue actinides, from large-volume solution in practical application. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electroactive Polymers and Gels)

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20974 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Applications of Three Dithienylpyrroles-Based Electrochromic Polymers in High-Contrast Electrochromic Devices

by Yuh-Shan Su, Jui-Cheng Chang and Tzi-Yi Wu

Polymers 2017, 9(3), 114; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym9030114 - 22 Mar 2017

Cited by 28 | Viewed by 6058

Abstract

Three dithienylpyrroles (1-(4-(methylthio)phenyl)-2,5-di(thiophen-2-yl)-pyrrole (MPS), 1-(4-methoxyphenyl)-2,5-di(thiophen-2-yl)-pyrrole (MPO), and 4-(2,5-di(thiophen-2-yl)-pyrrol-1-yl)benzonitrile (ANIL)) were synthesized and their corresponding polydithienylpyrroles (PSNS) were electrosynthesized using electrochemical polymerization. Spectroelectrochemical studies indicated that poly(1-(4-(methylthio)phenyl)-2,5-di(thiophen-2-yl)-pyrrole) (PMPS) film was green, dark green, and brown in the neutral, oxidation, and highly oxidized state, respectively. The incorporation of a MPS unit into the PSNS backbone gave rise to a darker color than those of the MPO and ANIL units in the highly oxidized state. The PMPS film showed higher ΔT_max (54.47% at 940 nm) than those of the PMPO (43.87% at 890 nm) and PANIL (44.63% at 950 nm) films in an ionic liquid solution. Electrochromic devices (ECDs) employing PMPS, PMPO, and PANIL as anodic layers and poly(3,4-(2,2-diethypropylenedioxy)thiophene)(PProDOT-Et₂) as a cathodic layer were constructed. PMPO/PProDOT-Et₂ ECD showed the highest ΔT_max (41.13%) and coloration efficiency (674.67 cm²·C⁻¹) at 626 nm, whereas PMPS/PProDOT-Et₂ECD displayed satisfactory ΔT_max (32.51%) and coloration efficiency (637.25 cm²·C⁻¹) at 590 nm. Repeated cyclic voltammograms of PMPS/PProDOT-Et₂, PMPO/PProDOT-Et₂, and PANIL/PProDOT-Et₂ ECDs indicated that ECDs had satisfactory redox stability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electroactive Polymers and Gels)

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4904 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Synthesis of Dimethyl-Substituted Polyviologen and Control of Charge Transport in Electrodes for High-Resolution Electrochromic Displays

by Kan Sato, Ryusuke Mizukami, Takahiro Mizuma, Hiroyuki Nishide and Kenichi Oyaizu

Polymers 2017, 9(3), 86; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym9030086 - 3 Mar 2017

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 6733

Abstract

Electrochromic (EC) polymers such as polyviologens have been attracting considerable attention as wet-processable electrodes for EC displays, thanks to their brilliant color change accompanied with reversible redox reactions. To establish wider usage, achieving multicolor and high-resolution characteristics is indispensable. In this paper, we demonstrated that the introduction of substituents such as methyl groups into bipyridine units changed the stereostructure of the cation radicals, and thus shifted the color (e.g., ordinary purple to blue). Also, by relaxing excessive π-stacking between the viologen moieties, the response rate was improved by a factor of more than 10. The controlled charge transport throughout the polyviologen layer gave rise to the fabrication of EC displays which are potentially suitable for the thin film transistor (TFT) substrate as the counter electrodes with submillimeter pixels. The findings can be versatilely used for the new design of polyviologens with enhanced electrochemical properties and high-resolution, multicolor EC displays. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electroactive Polymers and Gels)

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Review

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2883 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperReview

Recent Advances on Polypyrrole Electroactuators

by Bingxi Yan, Yu Wu and Liang Guo

Polymers 2017, 9(9), 446; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym9090446 - 14 Sep 2017

Cited by 48 | Viewed by 9145

Abstract

Featuring controllable electrochemomechanical deformation and excellent biocompatibility, polypyrrole electroactuators used as artificial muscles play a vital role in the design of biomimetic robots and biomedical devices. In the past decade, tremendous efforts have been devoted to their optimization on electroactivity, electrochemical stability, and actuation speed, thereby gradually filling the gaps between desired capabilities and practical performances. This review summarizes recent advances on polypyrrole electroactuators, with particular emphases on novel counterions and conformation-reinforcing skeletons. Progress and challenges are comparatively demonstrated and critically analyzed, to enlighten future developments of advanced electroactuators based on polypyrrole and other conducting polymers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electroactive Polymers and Gels)

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