Giant Electrochemical Actuation in a Nanoporous Silicon-Polypyrrole Hybrid Material

Giant electrochemical actuation in a nanoporous silicon-polypyrrole hybrid material

Manuel Brinker, Guido Dittrich, Claudia Richert, Pirmin Lakner, Tobias Krekeler, Thomas F. Keller, Norbert Huber, Patrick Huber

Nanoporous Silicon Flexes Muscles: The absence of piezoelectricity in silicon makes direct electromechanical applications of this mainstream semiconductor impossible. We have combined wafer-scale nanoporosity in single-crystalline silicon with polymerization of an artificial muscle material inside pore space to synthesize a hybrid material that shows macroscopic electrostrain in aqueous electrolyte. We trace this huge electroactuation to the concerted action of 100 billions of nanopores per square centimeter cross section and to potential-dependent pressures of up to 150 atmospheres at the single-pore scale. The exceptionally small operation voltages (0.4 to 0.9 volts), along with the sustainable and biocompatible base materials, open up entirely new frontiers for on-chip bio- and biomedical actuorics.

Science Advances 2020; DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aba1483
Corresponding Author: Patrick Huber