Evaluating the Bending Factors of Teflon Fabric-Reinforced IPMC Membrane Under Hydrated and Dehydrated Conditions

Nafion 438 (N438) membranes with exemplary proton conductivity and mechanical strength have made it to be used in diversified fields. N438 is also called as Teflon fabric-reinforced Nafion (TFRN) membrane. The current work postulates the bending characteristics of the ionic polymer metal composites (i.e., TFRN membrane coated with silver (Ag); TFRN–silver–carbon nanotubes (CNT); TFRN–silver–graphene (Gr)) at different voltages, under both hydrated and dehydrated conditions. Considering the tip angle, loss factor and flexural rigidity, bending moment of the IPMC membrane is analyzed. From experimental data and derived numerical expressions, loss factor of the membrane with respect to time is calculated. Loss factor is found to be high for TFRN coated with silver followed by TFRN coated with silver–CNT (0.01) at different input voltages. From the results, loss factor (λ) found to be decreased with change in the time intervals (at constant input voltage) and increased by increasing the input potential (under constant time). Among all the IPMC samples, TFRN coated with silver–graphene (0.01 wt./vol.) has shown the highest bending moment followed by silver–CNT (0.01 wt./vol.) and the least is noticed in silver–graphene (0.05 wt./vol.). From results, bending moment of the hydrated samples is noticed higher than the dehydrated samples, and thus recommending hydrated samples has tendencies to behave as actuators and sensors.