Effect of metal diffusion on mechanoelectric property of ionic polymer-metal composite

Ionic polymer-metal composite (IPMC) manufactured through electroless deposition has distinct electrode intermediate and polymer layers. Models typically study the ion motion inside the polymer layer, neglecting the electrode and intermediate layers. However, it must be noted that IPMC properties are affected by the physics of each layer and the coupling between them. In this paper, a physical phenomenological model explicitly describing the role of each layer is developed. The model predicts (i) the mechanoelectric behavior, (ii) the frequency response, and (iii) the geometric scalability effect on IPMC. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3517447]