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This study presents a novel and facile strategy to fabricate a hydrophilic poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) electrolyte film with enhanced inner channels for a highperformance and cost-effective ion-exchange polymer metal composite (IPMC) actuator. The resultant PVDF composite film is composed of hierarchical micro/nanoscale structures: well-defined polymer grains with a diameter of ∼20 μm and much finer particles with a diameter of ∼390 nm, producing three-dimensional interconnected, hierarchical inner channels to facilitate ion migration of IPMC. Interestingly, the electrolyte matrix film has a high porosity of 15.8% and yields a high water uptake of 44.2% and an ionic liquid (IL, [EMIm]•[BF 4 ]) uptake of 38.1% to make both water-driven and IL-driven IPMC actuators because of the introduction of polar polyvinyl pyrrolidone. Compared to the conventional PVDF/IL-based IPMC, both water-driven and IL-driven PVDF-based IPMCs exhibit high ion migration rates, thus effectively improving the actuation frequency and producing remarkably higher levels of actuation force and displacement. Specifically, the force outputs are increased by 13.4 and 3.0 folds, and the displacement outputs are increased by 2.2 and 1.9 folds. Using an identical electrolyte matrix, water-driven IPMC exhibits stronger electromechanical performance, benefiting to make IPMC actuator with high levels of force and power outputs, whereas IL-driven IPMC exhibits a more stable electromechanical performance, benefiting to make long lifetime IPMC actuator in air. Thus, the resultant IPMCs are promising in the design of artificial muscles with tunable electromechanical performance for flexible actuators or displacement/vibration sensors at low cost. KEYWORDS: ionic exchange polymer metal composite (IPMC), electromechanical response, poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF), polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), ionic liquid (IL), inner channel

Summary Pomegranate peel powders were prepared by superfine grinding, whose effects were investigated on the composition, functional and antioxidant properties of the pomegranate peel products. Fluidised bed jet milling technology was used to process superfine pomegranate peel powder. The physical–chemical properties of coarse powder A (D50 = 413.4 μm) and B (D50 = 197.1 μm), fine powder C (D50 = 142.6 μm) and D (D50 = 41.2 μm), superfine powder E (D50 = 7.68 μm) and raw material powder (RMP) (D50 = 352.2 μm) were investigated in this study. SEM images revealed the shape and surface morphology of six pomegranate peel powders. The physical determinations showed that the smaller the powder particle size was, the greater the surface area (from 0.214 to 1.597 m2 g−1) and bulk density (from 0.653 to 0.751 g mL−1) were, the smaller the angles of repose (from 51.69° to 38.74°) and slide (from 48.32° to 34.18°) were. The water holding capacity (WHC), water‐solubility index (WSI), polyphenols and flavonoids release were significantly improved as the size of pomegranate peel particle decreased. The results of FTIR and UV indicated that grinding process would not influence chemical composition of pomegranate peel. Vitamin C (VC) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) were used in DPPH scavenging activity determination, and DPPH scavenging activity was A < RMP < BHT < B < C < D < E < VC.

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Both end-functionalized (alpha-bromo and omega-carboxy) compounds were first tested for the radical reaction on the silicon-hydride (Si-H) terminated porous silicon (PSi) with/without the presence of diacyl peroxide initiator under microwave irradiation. Then the carboxylic acid monolayers (CAMs) assembled on PSi through the robust Si-C bonds were converted to amino-reactive linker, N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS)-ester, terminated monolayers. And finally two proteins of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and lysozyme (Lys) were immobilized through amide bonds. The optimum PSi membrane for protein immobilization without collapse, with parameters of porous radii 4-10 nm and depth 0.2-4.6 mum, was prepared from the (100)-oriented p-type silicon wafer. The chemically converted surface products were monitored with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM).