Self-Deformable Flexible Mems Tweezer Made of Poly (Vinylidene Fluoride) /Ionic Liquid Gel with Electrical Measurement Capability

We demonstrated a self-bending flexible tweezer capable of simultaneous mechanical handling and electrical measurement. A soft cantilever of
$2\ \text{mm} \times 8\ \text{mm} \times 75\ \mu \mathrm{m}$
bent by itself, and electrical signal observation through touched surface was successful. The working voltage (1.5 V) was the lowest, and normalized strain was one of the highest values as compared to world's similar devices, to our best knowledge. Unique fabrication process of flexible cantilever with novel ionic polymer-metal composites (IPMCs) was developed. The material was poly (vinylidene fluoride-co-trifluoroethylene) (PVDF-TrFE) and ionic liquid (IL) by use of acetone solvent, and silver nanowire for electrodes. The IL of 50 wt% gave the largest 7 mm bending displacement at + 1.5 V
DC
. The cantilever with the above actuator touched on a gold test surface, then electrical observation of alternating voltage of 700 mV (1 kHz and 4 kHz) was confirmed.