{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,12]],"date-time":"2026-07-12T01:38:11Z","timestamp":1783820291563,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":24,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2019,5,7]],"date-time":"2019-05-07T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1557187200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Sensors"],"abstract":"<jats:p>As an excellent transducer, ionic polymer-metal composites (IPMCs) can act as both an actuator and a sensor. During its sensing process, many factors, such as the water content, the cation type, the surface electrode, and the dimensions of the IPMC sample, have a considerable impact on the IPMC sensing performance. In this paper, the effect of dimensions focused on the Pd-Au typed IPMC samples with various thicknesses, widths, and lengths that were fabricated and their deformation sensing performances were tested and estimated using a self-made electromechanical sensing platform. In our experiments, we employed a two-sensing mode (both current and voltage) to record the signals generated by the IPMC bending. By comparison, it was found that the response trend was closer to the applied deformation curve using the voltage-sensing mode. The following conclusions were obtained. As the thickness increased, IPMC exhibited a better deformation-sensing performance. The thickness of the sample changed from 50 \u03bcm to 500 \u03bcm and corresponded to a voltage response signal from 0.3 to 1.6 mV. On the contrary, as the length increased, the sensing performance of IPMC decreased when subjected to equal bending. The width displayed a weaker effect on the sensing response. In order to obtain a stronger sensing response, a thickness increase, together with a length reduction, of the IPMC sample is a feasible way. Also, a simplified static model was proposed to successfully explain the sensing properties of IPMC with various sizes.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/s19092104","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2019,5,9]],"date-time":"2019-05-09T11:22:35Z","timestamp":1557400955000},"page":"2104","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":28,"title":["The Effects of Dimensions on the Deformation Sensing Performance of Ionic Polymer-Metal Composites"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"19","author":[{"given":"Jiale","family":"Wang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Hohai University, Changzhou Campus, Changzhou 213022, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yanjie","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Hohai University, Changzhou Campus, Changzhou 213022, China"},{"name":"Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Special Robot Technology, Hohai University, Changzhou 213022, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Zicai","family":"Zhu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Mechanical Engineering, Xi\u2019an Jiaotong University, Xi\u2019an 710049, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jiahui","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Hohai University, Changzhou Campus, Changzhou 213022, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2769-9312","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Qingsong","family":"He","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Bionic Functional Materials, Nanjing University of Aeronautics &amp; Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Minzhou","family":"Luo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Special Robot Technology, Hohai University, Changzhou 213022, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2019,5,7]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"141","DOI":"10.1007\/s12541-012-0020-8","article-title":"A review on IPMC material as actuators and sensors: Fabrications, characteristics and applications","volume":"13","author":"Bhandari","year":"2012","journal-title":"Int. J. Precis. Eng. Manuf."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"R15","DOI":"10.1088\/0964-1726\/7\/6\/001","article-title":"Ionic polymer-metal composites (IPMCs) as biomimetic sensors, actuators and artificial muscles-a review","volume":"7","author":"Shahinpoor","year":"1998","journal-title":"Smart Mater. Struct."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1037","DOI":"10.1016\/j.progpolymsci.2013.04.003","article-title":"Recent advances in ionic polymer\u2013metal composite actuators and their modeling and applications","volume":"38","author":"Jo","year":"2013","journal-title":"Prog. Polym. Sci."},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"085017","DOI":"10.1088\/1361-665X\/aac276","article-title":"A three-electrode structured ionic polymer carbon-composite actuator with improved electromechanical performance","volume":"27","author":"Bian","year":"2018","journal-title":"Smart Mater. Struct."},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"105046","DOI":"10.1088\/1361-665X\/aae00a","article-title":"Ionic polymer with single-layered electrodes: a novel strategy for ionic actuator design","volume":"27","author":"Chang","year":"2018","journal-title":"Smart Mater. Struct."},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"015017","DOI":"10.1088\/0964-1726\/22\/1\/015017","article-title":"IPMC as a mechanoelectric energy harvester: tailored properties","volume":"22","author":"Tiwari","year":"2012","journal-title":"Smart Mater. Struct."},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1362","DOI":"10.1088\/0964-1726\/13\/6\/009","article-title":"Ionic polymer\u2013metal composites: III. Modeling and simulation as biomimetic sensors, actuators, transducers, and artificial muscles","volume":"13","author":"Shahinpoor","year":"2004","journal-title":"Smart Mater. Struct."},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Akle, B., Najem, J., Leo, D., and Blottman, J. (2011, January 6\u201310). Design and development of bio-inspired underwater jellyfish like robot using ionic polymer metal composite (IPMC) actuators. Proceedings of the SPIE Smart Structures and Materials + Nondestructive Evaluation and Health Monitoring, San Diego, CA, USA.","DOI":"10.1117\/12.881993"},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3207","DOI":"10.1039\/C8LC00776D","article-title":"Wirelessly activated device with an integrated ionic polymer metal composite (IPMC) cantilever valve for targeted drug delivery","volume":"18","author":"Cheong","year":"2018","journal-title":"Lab Chip"},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"169","DOI":"10.1007\/s10544-010-9482-6","article-title":"Micromachined optical fiber enclosed 4-electrode IPMC actuator with multidirectional control ability for biomedical application","volume":"13","author":"Feng","year":"2011","journal-title":"Biomed. Microdevices"},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"073504","DOI":"10.1063\/1.4961529","article-title":"An easily fabricated high performance ionic polymer based sensor network","volume":"109","author":"Zhu","year":"2016","journal-title":"Appl. Phys. Lett."},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"225","DOI":"10.1016\/j.sna.2010.04.032","article-title":"Ionic polymer\u2013metal composite material as a diaphragm for micropump devices","volume":"161","author":"Santos","year":"2010","journal-title":"Sens. Actuators A"},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"279","DOI":"10.1002\/pi.2759","article-title":"Ionic polymer\u2013metal composite mechanoelectrical transduction: Review and perspectives","volume":"59","author":"Pugal","year":"2010","journal-title":"Polym. Int."},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"146","DOI":"10.1016\/j.sna.2005.03.012","article-title":"A method to characterize the deformation of an IPMC sensing membrane","volume":"123","author":"Bonomo","year":"2005","journal-title":"Sens. Actuators A"},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"094011","DOI":"10.1088\/0964-1726\/20\/9\/094011","article-title":"Dynamic curvature sensing employing ionic-polymer\u2013metal composite sensors","volume":"20","author":"Bahramzadeh","year":"2011","journal-title":"Smart Mater. Struct."},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"51","DOI":"10.1177\/1045389X02013001978","article-title":"Electromechanical modeling and characterization of ionic polymer benders","volume":"13","author":"Newbury","year":"2002","journal-title":"J. Intell. Mater. Syst. Struct."},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"172","DOI":"10.1088\/0964-1726\/1\/2\/012","article-title":"Development of a novel electrochemically active membrane and\u2019smart\u2019material based vibration sensor\/damper","volume":"1","author":"Sadeghipour","year":"1992","journal-title":"Smart Mater. Struct."},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Shahinpoor, M., Bar-Cohen, Y., Xue, T., Harrison, J.S., and Smith, J.G. (1998, January 1\u20135). Some experimental results on ionic polymer-metal composites (IPMC) as biomimetic sensors and actuators. Proceedings of the 5th Annual International Symposium on Smart Structures and Materials, San Diego, CA, USA.","DOI":"10.1117\/12.316870"},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Konyo, M., Konishi, Y., Tadokoro, S., and Kishima, T. (2004, January 14\u201318). Development of velocity sensor using ionic polymer-metal composites. Proceedings of the Smart Structures and Materials, San Diego, CA, USA.","DOI":"10.1117\/12.540266"},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Takagi, K., Nakabo, Y., Luo, Z.W., and Asaka, K. (2007, January 18\u201322). On a distributed parameter model for electrical impedance of ionic polymer. Proceedings of the SPIE Smart Structures and Materials + Nondestructive Evaluation and Health Monitoring, San Diego, CA, USA.","DOI":"10.1117\/12.715554"},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3215","DOI":"10.1021\/acs.jpcb.5b12634","article-title":"Influence of Ambient Humidity on the Voltage Response of Ionic Polymer\u2013Metal Composite Sensor","volume":"120","author":"Zhu","year":"2016","journal-title":"J. Phys. Chem. B"},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"5074","DOI":"10.1002\/smll.201600553","article-title":"Self-powered piezoionic strain sensor toward the monitoring of human activities","volume":"12","author":"Liu","year":"2016","journal-title":"Small"},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"30258","DOI":"10.1021\/acsami.7b08012","article-title":"Formation and characterization of dendritic interfacial electrodes inside an ionomer","volume":"9","author":"Wang","year":"2017","journal-title":"ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces"},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"104911","DOI":"10.1063\/1.3129503","article-title":"On the capacitance-boost of ionic polymer metal composites due to electroless plating: Theory and experiments","volume":"105","author":"Aureli","year":"2009","journal-title":"J. Appl. Phys."}],"container-title":["Sensors"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1424-8220\/19\/9\/2104\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T12:49:38Z","timestamp":1760186978000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1424-8220\/19\/9\/2104"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2019,5,7]]},"references-count":24,"journal-issue":{"issue":"9","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2019,5]]}},"alternative-id":["s19092104"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/s19092104","relation":{},"ISSN":["1424-8220"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1424-8220","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2019,5,7]]}}}