Nafion/Pt-based ionic polymer metal composites can be considered smart materials with characteristics that allow it to be used as soft actuators. Its working mechanism is based on solvated counterions moving through hydrophilic sites of the polymer membrane, making it an electrochemical device. Since a minimum of 2 V is needed to actuate, water electrolysis is a drawback that must be overcome, once its occurrence inhibits the properly working of ionomeric polymer/metal composite (IPMC). With individually four distinct counterions incorporated H⁺, Li⁺, Na⁺ and BMIM⁺— an organic cation from ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methyl-imidazolium chloride — Nafion/Pt-based IPMCs had their electrochemical properties investigated through cyclic voltammetry, multi-step chronoamperometry and electrical impedance, as well as mass change during exhaustive actuation cycles and their chemical affinity with hydrophilic sites were analysed by quantum mechanics simulation. From the collected data, it was possible to infer that the physical-chemical aspects of counterions play a key role in device-measured property, and BMIM⁺ prevented early water electrolysis, providing electrochemical stability to the device. Real-time mass-monitored actuation shows that water loss occurs excessively on smaller radius counterions and although the fast reabsorption kinetics, molecular diffusion to the innermost regions of the membrane is slow and does not lead to a recovery of device’s performance. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy data corroborate the fact that mass transport is strongly affected by both the limited ionomeric channel width and the interaction between the species and the Nafion side chains.

基于Nafion / Pt的离子聚合物金属复合材料可以被视为智能材料，其特性使其可以用作软致动器。它的工作机理基于溶剂化的抗衡离子穿过聚合物膜的亲水位点，从而使其成为电化学装置。由于至少需要2 V的电压才能启动，因此水电解是必须克服的一个缺点，一旦其发生抑制了离聚物聚合物/金属复合材料（IPMC）的正常工作。分别包含四个不同的抗衡离子H ⁺，Li ⁺，Na ⁺和BMIM ⁺-来自离子液体1-丁基-3-甲基咪唑鎓氯化物的有机阳离子-基于Nafion / Pt的IPMC的电化学性质通过循环伏安法，多步计时电流法和电阻抗进行了研究，并在详尽的致动周期内进行了质量变化并通过量子力学模拟分析了它们与亲水位点的化学亲和力。从收集到的数据中，可以推断出平衡离子的物理化学方面在设备测量的性质中起着关键作用，而BMIM ⁺防止了水的早期电解，从而为设备提供了电化学稳定性。实时质量监测驱动显示，在较小半径的抗衡离子上会发生过多的水分流失，尽管重新吸收动力学很快，但分子向膜最内层的扩散却很慢，并且不会导致设备性能恢复。电化学阻抗谱数据证实了这样一个事实，即有限的离聚物通道宽度以及物质与Nafion侧链之间的相互作用都强烈影响质量传输。