Improvement of the electromechanical performance of carboxymethylcellulose-based actuators by graphene nanoplatelet loading

• DOI: 10.1007/s10570-015-0702-3
• Publication Date: 2015-07-16T13:13:39Z
• Authors: Okan Ozdemir; Ramazan Karakuzu; Mehmet Sarikanat; Yoldas Seki; Emine Akar; Levent Cetin; Ozgun Cem Yilmaz; Kutlay Sever; Ibrahim Sen; Baris Oguz Gurses
• Keywords: Carboxymethylcellulose; Electromechanical properties; Smart materials; Mechanical properties; 02 engineering and technology; Graphene; 0210 nano-technology

In this article, the effects of graphene loading (0.1, 0.2, 0.3 wt%) on both the electromechanical and mechanical properties of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC)-based actuators were investigated. CMC-based graphene-loaded actuators were prepared by using 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide. The synthesized graphene-loaded actuators were characterized by Fourier transform infrared, X-ray diffraction analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and tensile tests. Electromechanical properties of the actuators were obtained under DC excitation voltages of 1, 3, 5, and 7 V with a laser displacement sensor. According to the obtained results, the ultimate tensile strength of CMC-based actuators containing 0.3 wt% graphene was higher than that of unloaded actuators by approximately 72.8 %. In addition, the Young’s modulus value of the graphene-loaded actuators increased continuously with increasing graphene content. Under a DC excitation voltage of 5 V, the maximum tip displacement of 0.2 wt% graphene-loaded actuators increased by about 15 % compared to unloaded actuators.