Cellulose based electro-active papers: performance and environmental effects

TLDR

Electro‑active paper (EAPap), made from cellulose, is an attractive EAP actuator material because it is lightweight, operates in dry conditions, offers large displacement, requires low actuation voltage and power, and is biodegradable. The authors fabricated EAPap by dissolving cellulose fibers, casting them into sheets, and depositing thin electrodes, then evaluated its performance—tip displacement, blocking force, and power consumption—while also studying the influence of humidity and temperature. The 40‑mm EAPap actuator achieved a maximum tip displacement of 4.3 mm at only 0.25 kV mm⁻¹, a notably low actuation voltage, and its displacement increased with humidity up to 95 % and rose then fell around 30 °C, demonstrating strong environmental sensitivity.

Abstract

Electro-active paper (EAPap) is attractive as an electro-active polymer (EAP) actuator material due to its low weight, dry condition, large displacement output, low actuation voltage and low power consumption and biodegradability. EAPap is made from cellulose. Cellulose fibre is dissolved into a solution and made into a sheet, then thin electrodes are deposited on the cellulose paper to make an EAPap actuator. The performance of EAPap actuators was evaluated in terms of tip displacement, blocking force and electrical power consumption. The maximum tip displacement of 4.3?mm was obtained from a 40?mm long EAPap actuator when 0.25?kV?mm?1 was applied. This actuation voltage is quite low compared with other electronic EAP materials. The effect of the environment in terms of humidity and temperature was also investigated. When the relative humidity was increased up to 95%, the tip displacement increased. When the temperature was increased the displacement slowly increased and then gradually decreased after the temperature reached 30??C. These measurements were performed under a variety of environmental and input factors including frequency, actuation voltage, temperature and humidity.