Electroactive Nonionic Polymer Gel-Swift Bending and Crawling Motion

We have found a nonionic polymer gel swollen with nonionic dielectric solvent can be actuated by applying an electric field. The motion was not only far much faster than conventional polyelectrolyte gel materials, but also far much bigger in deformation. The motion was completed, for instance, within 60 ms and the deformation reached over 100%. The heat loss is negligible compared to that of polyelectrolyte gels. The deformation is not only bending, but also crawling. The principle was suggested to be charge-injected solvent dragging in the gel. The force was suggested to be proportional to the square of the electric field and proportional to the dielectric constant of the solvent. The principle was suggested to be promising and applicable to other conventional polymers.