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High‐Speed Carbon Nanotube Actuators Based on an Oxidation/Reduction Reaction
Author(s) -
Mukai Ken,
Asaka Kinji,
Hata Kenji,
Fernández Otero Toribio,
Oike Hideaki
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
chemistry – a european journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.687
H-Index - 242
eISSN - 1521-3765
pISSN - 0947-6539
DOI - 10.1002/chem.201003641
Subject(s) - electrode , carbon nanotube , redox , materials science , electrolyte , voltage , actuator , ionic liquid , square wave , chemical engineering , nanotechnology , optoelectronics , chemistry , electrical engineering , organic chemistry , catalysis , engineering , metallurgy
Actuators with a high‐speed response under a high‐frequency (more than 100 Hz) applied square‐wave voltage of ±2 V have been developed with an electrode composed of millimeter‐long single‐walled carbon nanotubes synthesized by the “supergrowth method” (SG‐SWNTs) and ionic liquids (ILs). Detailed studies concerning induced electric current and transferred charge in the electrode as well as cyclic voltammetric studies of the electrode revealed that the high‐speed response originates from the electric current generated by an oxidation/reduction (redox) reaction in addition to electric double‐layer charging. The contribution of the redox reactions of SG‐SWNTs to the actuation is sensitive to the presence of supporting polymers, the thickness of the electrolyte, and the amplitude of the applied voltage.