Synthesis, characterization and bending behavior of electroresponsive sodium alginate/poly(acrylic acid) interpenetrating network films under an electric field stimulus

Dielectric characterization and electroresponsive behavior of glutaraldehyde (GA) crosslinked sodium alginate/poly(acrylic acid) (SA-AA-GA) interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) films were studied. Further characterizations of the films were performed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and swelling measurements. Sodium alginate (SA) and SA-AA semi-IPN films were also prepared for comparison. The effect of initial concentration of acrylic acid on the dielectric and thermal properties of SA-AA semi-IPN and SA-AA-GA full-IPN films was studied. The presence of poly(acrylic acid) and the crosslinking of SA by GA decreased the dielectric constant and the conductivity values. The bending of SA-AA-GA films in an electrolyte solution at 8 V was investigated as a function of electrolyte (NaCl) concentration (0.05-0.15 M) and the composition of the film. The response rate of SA-AA-GA films to electric field decreased with the increase in PAA content of the film. Amongst the NaCl solutions with various concentrations, the maximum total bending of SA-AA-GA film was obtained in 0.15 M NaCl solution. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.