Conjugated Polymer Actuators: Prospects and Limitations

Actuators constructed with a conjugated polymer as the active part have been predicted to have a number of highly desirable properties: Large mechanical strength, high power density, i.e. high actuation speeds possible, sufficient maximum strain values, high reversibility and safe, low voltages (1-5 V), .

Taking status after about 15 years of research efforts, most of these predictions have come true, the main exception being the much lower speeds actually realized in actuators.