Cellulose based electro-active papers: performance and environmental effects

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 degrees C. These measurements were performed under a variety of environmental and input factors including frequency, actuation voltage, temperature and humidity.