| Synthetic polymer gels comprised of flexible chains can convert electrochemical energy into mechanical energy when stimulated by an electric field. This opens up the possibility of using these materials as sensors. This work dealt with a novel, semi-interpenetrating network (semi-IPN), composed of an ionizable rigid polymer, poly(;The bending behavior induced by an electric field on the semi-IPN of PPTS-PAAm polyelectrolyte gels was studied in various salt solutions. For the purpose of comparison, parallel studies were also carried out with a neutral gel (polyacrylamide (PAAm) gel). A very small amount of PPTS, 10% by weight of the total polymer, in a swollen gel containing 0.3% solid, sufficed to cause large differences in response to electroactivation.;The neutral PAAm gel bent toward the cathode in KCl and KI solutions with the application of an electric field, but it bent toward the anode when the external solution contained KF or KSCN. In aqueous media without added salt, the neutral PAAm gel was not influenced by the electric field.;The PPTS-PAAm semi-IPN gel rod bent toward the cathode in aqueous solutions of KF, KCl, KI, and KSCN with the application of an electric field. The extent of bending increased gradually with time and then decreased after reaching a maximum.;The bent semi-IPN gel recovered to its original shape upon switching the polarity of the applied electric field or removing the applied electric field. The bending speed is related to the ion concentration in the surrounding solution and the ion present in the gel matrix, the size of the gel, and also the strength of the applied electric field across the gel.;The Na-PPTS-PAAm semi-IPN gel in 0.1 mM Na... |
