Fabrication of electrodes for polymer actuators and sensors via self-assembly

A method for the fabrication of conductive gold electrodes on flexible polymer substrates, using a solution-based self-assembly process, has been developed. This involves the use of functionalized silanes with amino- or mercapto-groups to anchor the gold to the substrate. Colloidal gold particles are deposited from solution and the formation of a conductive film is achieved by reducing more gold onto the attached particles by a "seeding" process. Conductive films have been successfully deposited on materials like Kapton and polyethylene with a surface resistance of 1Ω/sq and good adhesion properties. Films have also been deposited on Nafion, an ionic polymer used in polymer actuators and sensors, for the fabrication of polymer transducers. Preliminary tests using these electrodes on Nafion show sensing and actuation behavior.