Characterization and analysis of motion mechanism of electroactive chitosan-based actuator

In order to analyze the bending mechanism of the electroactive chitosan- based actuator, different amounts of poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDAD) were incorporated in chitosan solution. The effects of PDAD concentration on electromechanical performance of chitosan actuator were investigated under various excitation voltages. With the incorporation of PDAD into chitosan solution, crosslinked chitosan film acts as an actuator showing a considerable displacement behavior. However it can be noted that higher incorporation of PDAD into chitosan solution decreased the performance of the actuators. Thermal, viscoelastic, and crystallographic properties of the chitosan films were examined by thermogravimetric analysis, dynamic mechanical analysis, and X- ray diffraction analysis, respectively. The effect of incorporation of PDAD in chitosan- based film on morphological properties of chitosan film was determined by scanning electron microscopy. It was observed that the films involving PDAD have larger pore size than the PDAD free film.