Iota‐carrageenan (𝑖C) hydrogel oscillations under constant electric field and stability diagrams

Abstract

Soft actuators belong to a type of actuators made of soft materials which are capable of converting applied energy to the mechanical motion. They have been utilized in several fields due to their flexibility, lightweight, inexpensive cost and simple fabrication. In this work, iota carrageenan (𝑖C) was chosen as the starting material for the hydrogel‐based actuator. The 𝑖C hydrogels were fabricated via a simple solvent‐casting technique at various concentrations: 2.4%v/v, 2.8%v/v, and 3.2%v/v. All 𝑖C hydrogels were characterized for their chemical, thermal, rheology, and morphology properties as well as the actuation performances under applied electric field. The 𝑖C hydrogels showed the monotonic increases in the static bending distance and dielectrophoretic force with increasing electric field strength. Above the critical electrical field strengths, the ribbon‐like 𝑖C hydrogels oscillated back and forth due to the competition between the dielectrophoresis force, the resisting elastic force, the weight, and the inertia force. The stability diagrams were constructed for the first time separating the static bending from the oscillation behavior under constant applied electric fields.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.