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Actuating Single Wall Carbon Nanotube–Polymer Composites: Intrinsic Unimorphs
Author(s) -
Park Cheol,
Kang Jin Ho,
Harrison Joycelyn S.,
Costen Robert C.,
Lowther Sharon E.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
advanced materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 10.707
H-Index - 527
eISSN - 1521-4095
pISSN - 0935-9648
DOI - 10.1002/adma.200702566
Subject(s) - materials science , carbon nanotube , electrostriction , composite material , polymer , composite number , nanotube , polarization (electrochemistry) , thermal , nanotechnology , chemistry , physics , piezoelectricity , meteorology
A novel actuating single wall carbon nanotube (SWNT)/polymer composite is reported. It exhibits a large strain (2.6%) at a low driving voltage (<1 MV m −1 ) while possessing excellent mechanical and thermal properties. The strain energy density is at least an order of magnitude greater than any state‐of‐the‐art polymeric materials reported. The actuating characteristic mainly originates from the electrostrictive contribution, presumably due to interfacial polarization.