Study of the Thickness of the MF-4SK Membrane on the Electromechanical Parameters of IPMC Actuators

Micromechanical actuators based on ionic polymer-metal composites (IPMCs) are promising energy converters for microrobotics and medicine. In this work, we investigated the influence of the thickness variation of the MF-4SK membrane (90 and $290 \mu \mathrm{m}$) on the lifetime of the actuators, on the dependence of deformation amplitude on the amplitude and frequency of the input signal, and, accordingly, on the resonant frequency. Based on the results of the experiment, it was found that actuators based on a membrane with a thickness of $90 \mu \mathrm{m}$ are characterized by a shorter lifetime and deformation amplitude, and their resonant frequency is shifted to the short-wavelength side. Based on the results obtained, we can conclude that actuators based on thinner membranes are less effective as electromechanical converters.