In the Laboratory
Electropolymerized Conducting Polymer W
as Actuator and Sensor Device
An Undergraduate Electrochemical Laboratory Experiment
María T. Cortés* and Juan C. Moreno
Department of Chemistry, Universidad de los Andes, Carrera 1 #18A-10, Bogotá, Colombia;
*marcorte@uniandes.edu.co
Since the discovery of the intrinsically conducting poly-
mers in the 1970s, these materials have been extensively stud-
ied owing to their potential applications. In fact, the Nobel
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Heeger, Alan G. MacDiarmid, and Hideki Shirakawa for the
discovery and development of conductive polymers (1). The
conducting properties, volume changes, ability to store
charge, color changes, and porosity changes among others
make of these polymers multifunctional materials (2, 3).
There is currently a tremendous increase in both academic
and corporate research on technological applications of these
polymers. A number of recent articles have appeared in mul-
tidisciplinary journals summarizing the technological
applications of these polymers (4); a few lab experiments
based on these polymers have been outlined in this Journal
(5–7).
At the beginning of the last decade, the first actuator
devices based on intrinsically conducting polymer (CP) were
proposed (8, 9). The performance of these actuators focused
on the volume changes undergone by the polymer when sub-
mitted to an electrical current (3, 10). The volume change
of the CPs can be exploited in actuators in numerous ways:
in layered devices that bend when one or more CP layers is
the active layer, in fibers that elongate and contract, in
bundles, valves, and so forth. The use of these polymers as
actuator materials has been widely studied in the recent years
owing to the resemblance to muscles. The CPs have an array
of potential applications as artificial muscles since they are
capable of producing moderate displacement when they are
submitted to an electrochemical reaction. For a detailed re-
view of artificial muscles based on these polymers see ref 11.
Experimental Overview
We describe the synthesis of ClO4−-doped polypyrrole
(PPy) films and the fabrication of a trilayer device: PPy
film兾adhesive polymer兾PPy film that shows actuating and
sensing properties. This device bends under the influence of
about 10 mA of current or 1 V potential. The bending angle
can be up to ±180
in a LiClO4 aqueous solution. The per-
formance of this device is comparable to the bimetal effect
in thermostats and is discussed in detail in the Supplemental
Material.W
No external electrode is required in the trilayer device.
One of the PPy films acts as the working electrode and the
other PPy film as counter and reference electrode. This is a
compact system that does not require auxiliary electrodes. The
movement of the trilayer actuator is controlled by an elec-
trochemical reaction. The direction and movement rate of
1372 Journal of Chemical Education • Vol. 82 No. 9 September 2005
this actuator are controlled by the applied current and the
position by oxidation depth of PPy films (12). This can be
demonstrated by calculating the consumed charge during dif-
ferent extent of bending under several electrical conditions.
The consumed energy during a given bending can be related
to the cell temperature or to the electrolyte concentration.
In this way, the trilayer is a compact device working as ac-
tuator and sensor simultaneously. To fabricate a trilayer ac-
tuator (PPy film兾adhesive polymer兾PPy film), it is necessary
to obtain ClO4−-doped PPy films. The electrochemical
method is advantageous in terms of the ease of controlling
the growth rate and the film thickness, the enhanced electri-
cal properties, and the relatively inexpensive polymerization
procedure.
The experiment can be adjusted to fit either one or two
lab periods: one lab of six hours or two labs of three hours.
One lab can be used to synthesize the doped PPy films (three
hours) and the other lab to fabricate the trilayer device and
to evaluate the sensing and actuating properties (three hours).
If conducted over two lab periods, the polymer should be
evaluated within 72 hours of its synthesis. The coated work-
ing electrode should be kept in a desiccator after the synthe-
sis. These experiments are appropriate for visualizing and
understanding smart materials, electrochemistry and polymer
science concepts. They are suitable for courses dealing with
electroactive material and electrochemical synthesis and char-
acterization. The synthesis of conducting polymers as actu-
ating and sensing devices is suitable for undergraduate
materials laboratory and electrochemical laboratory experi-
ments.
The objectives of this experiment are: (i) electrochemi-
cal synthesis of ClO4− doped PPy, (ii) fabrication of a sens-
ing and actuator device based on PPy, (iii) observation of the
bending ability of this device in aqueous solution, and (iv)
performance of temperature monitoring by this device.
Summary of the Procedure
Synthesis of ClO4−-Doped PPy Films
In the first part of this procedure ClO4−-doped PPy films
are electrochemically synthesized. The setup requires a four-
compartment cell and a power source that generates poten-
tial square waves (potentiostat). The potentiostat should
generate square waves of potential from 300 mV for 2 s to
872 mV for 8 s for a period of 90 minutes, versus Ag兾AgCl
reference electrode (13). The power source is capable of gen-
erating either a constant voltage or a constant current to the
working electrode for the evaluation of the trilayer (potenti-
ostat–galvanostat).
• www.JCE.DivCHED.org

The electrodes are made of stainless steel, an inexpen-
sive material. A Ag兾AgCl reference electrode is used, which
can be made easily (14). The polymerization solution is 0.25
M pyrrole and 0.1 M LiClO4 in acetonitrile with 2% water
(all reagent-grade) according to the method reported by Otero
(8). The solution should be deaerated for 10 minutes by bub-
bling of nitrogen. A sketch of the setup is shown in Figure 1.
Once the polymerization is finished, the PPy films are sub-
mitted to voltage of 800 mV for 100 s in polymerization so-
lution (LiClO4 in acetonitrile, 2% water, without monomer)
to obtain the oxidized polymer.
Fabrication and Evaluation of the Trilayer
The fabrication method of the trilayer requires a double-
sided adhesive tape sandwiched between two PPy films. The
movement evaluation of the trilayer allows observing its ac-
tuating and sensing properties. Copper wire can be used to
make the electrical contacts between the trilayer and a power
source. To evaluate the movement, a current or voltage is ap-
plied to the trilayer in LiClO4 aqueous solution (any con-
centration from 0.5 to 1 M). To observe the sensing
properties, the influence of the temperature or the electro-
lyte concentration on the movement can be studied. In the
first case, a thermostated cell is needed to control the tem-
perature.
Hazards
Appropriate precautions should be taken in working with
reagents for the synthesis of the polypyrrole and the charac-
terization of the trilayer. Pyrrole is harmful by inhalation,
ingestion, or skin absorption. Acetonitrile is highly flam-
mable, an irritant, and toxic by inhalation, ingestion, or skin
absorption. It may cause serious damage to the eyes and is a
possible teratogen. Lithium perchlorate is a strong oxidizer
and incompatible with combustible materials. It is a skin, eye,
and respiratory irritant. Sulphochromic mixture is a corro-
sive combination of strong, extremely corrosive and highly
toxic reagents.
Summary
This experiment is written to serve as a laboratory project
and to provide experience in smart materials and electrochem-
istry. It is used to demonstrate the potential application of
conducting polymers to convert electrical energy into me-
chanical energy at low voltage or current. The performance
of the device is explained using electrochemistry and solid-
state chemistry. In this article, a PPy-based actuator is shown;
however, other conjugated conducting polymers can be stud-
ied and evaluated as actuating and sensing materials. The
ClO4−-doped PPy is easily synthesized and the experiment can
be adapted to sense temperature or electrolyte concentration.
Acknowledgment
MTC wishes to thank Science Faculty of Universidad
de los Andes for financial support. She also wishes to thank
Toribio Fernández Otero for leading her doctoral thesis in
the University of the Basque Country and for his valuable
guidance and continuous support.
www.JCE.DivCHED.org • Vol. 82 No. 9 September 2005
In the Laboratory
WE CE RE
WE: working electrode
N2
CE: counter electrode
RE: reference electrode
deposited
polypyrrole
Figure 1. A schematic drawing of the electrochemical cell and
potentiostat used to synthesize polypyrrole.
W
Supplemental Material
Background material on conducting polymers, a detailed
experimental procedure, and a student handout are available
in this issue of JCE Online.
Literature Cited
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