Multifunctional and Electronically Conjugated Triazine Framework for Superior Electro-Ionic Artificial Muscles

Electro-ionic artificial muscles, consisting of a configuration where an electrolyte membrane is flanked by two active electrodes, have emerged as transformative components in the field of soft robotics. Despite this, the current actuation performance falls short for many practical applications, because most existing electrode materials exhibit limitations in terms of their properties. Here, a multifunctional active electrode material is reported for an electro-ionic artificial muscle, employing a triazine framework that incorporates 6,6′-Dicyano-2,2′-bipyridyl (DCB-TF). The multifunctional DCB-TF boasts fully conjugated bonds, facilitating fast electron transfer, high porosity for ion accommodation, a substantial surface area of 1800 m² g⁻¹ for charge storage, numerous active sites for ion interactions, and complete aromatic rings contributing to stability. The application of DCB-TF to the active electrodes in the electro-ionic artificial muscles yields remarkable actuation performance, including a substantial bending displacement of 24 mm at 0.5 V and 0.2 Hz, a rapid response time of 2 s, and outstanding durability sustained over 3.4 million continuous cycles. Consequently, these soft actuators have enabled a dragonfly demonstration as a form of kinetic art.