Artificial muscle material with fast electroactuation under neutral pH conditions

Abstract

A novel artificial muscle material based on an acrylic acid/acrylamide hydrogel blended with a conductive polypyrrole/carbon black composite was prepared. The material was optimized in terms of its electroactuation response by varying the acrylic acid content, the blending concentration of the conductive composite, and the intensity of the electric field. The artificial muscle material showed a fast and reversible electroactuation when a low potential was applied. Further, the artificial muscle was incorporated into a microfabricated pumping device that exhibited reproducible flow rates, thus demonstrating its potential usefulness in bio-micro-electro-mechanical systems (BioMEMS) applications.