Printing electrodes for P(VDF-TrFE-CTFE) actuators using a consumer-grade inkjet printer

This work addresses inkjet printing and material selection in the fabrication of P(VDF-TrFE-CTFE) actuators. It investigates different substrate (PEN, polyimide and a PET-based) and conductive ink (metal- and carbon-based) combinations to minimize process complexity and need for specialized equipment. Fabrication study indicated that PEN and carbon black combination best meets these objectives, attaining an actuator's electrical bandwidth of 9.36 kHz. The manufactured actuators achieved 206 μm tip deflections upon quasi-static excitation, and up to 3 mm in resonant operation at 115 Hz. Therefore, manufacturing flexible designs of well-performing smart material actuators is viable using widely available and low-budget equipment.