Electrothermal actuators layer

In summary, the electrothermally driving actuators exhibit large actuation under a relative low driving voltage. Compared with the electrochemically driving actuators, they show better actuation stability because it is free of electrolyte. Unfortunately, they exhibit a slow responsiveness due to the unsatisfactory heat conduction of the polymer. Therefore, some efforts should be made to improve the heat conduction by decreasing the thickness of the polymeric layer or introducing functional additives. 

Figure 2.15 Electrothermal bending of a MWNT-PDMS composite film, (a) Schematic structure of a U-shaped actuator consisting of a thin layer of super-aligned MWNT-PDMS composite and a thick layer of pristine PDMS. The dashed lines represent the direction of CNT alignment, (b) Photographs of the actuator without (left) and with (right) an applied DC voltage of 40 V. Reprinted by permission from the American Chemical Society.

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