Actuation and Sensing Performances of Ionic Artificial Muscles Based on CNT ‐Mediated Carboxylated Bacterial Cellulose Nanofibers

ABSTRACT Electroactive polymers (EAP) are gaining prominence in the field of soft robotics, particularly for their use as actuators and sensors. Herein we report a high‐performance, biocompatible artificial muscle constructed from carboxylated bacterial cellulose (CBC), which possesses bidirectional response capabilities. This artificial muscle serves dual roles as an electrically activated actuator and a highly sensitive passive sensor. When employed as an actuator, the artificial muscle delivers a large bidirectional stroke—8 mm in each direction, corresponding to a total displacement of 16 mm—when driven by only 1 V at 0.1 Hz. Simultaneously, the actuator boasts a wide operational bandwidth from 0.05 to 10 Hz and is capable of sustaining continuous, undistorted motion for prolonged durations, specifically up to 2 h. These remarkable performances are credited to the robust cross‐linking interactions among CBC, ionic liquid (IL), and carbon nanotubes (CNT), which endow the actuator with superior electrochemical characteristics. In addition, the artificial muscles exhibit excellent passive dynamic sensing capabilities, generating a sensing voltage of 2.7 V at a small deflection displacement of 3.5 mm (0.8 Hz) and showing a high dynamic sensing sensitivity of 0.7966 V mm ⁻¹ at 0.8 Hz. The CBC‐IL‐CNT artificial muscles showcase not only the dual functionalities of actuation and sensing but also their potential for a broad spectrum of applications, including actuation systems and wearable sensors.