IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INSTRUMENTATION AND MEASUREMENT, VOL. 59, NO.
4, APRIL 2010
Static and Dynamic Characterization of the
Temperature and Humidity Influence
on IPMC Actuators
Paola Brunetto, Luigi Fortuna, Fellow, IEEE, Pietro Giannone, Salvatore Graziani, and Salvatore Strazzeri
Abstract—Several models that describe the behavior of ionic
polymer–metal composite (IPMC)-based actuators can be found
in the literature. The response of IPMC transducers as a function
of modifying quantities is a matter of interest; however, it has
not been investigated. It is reasonable to argue that environmental
humidity and temperature represent the main modifying parame-
ters. In fact, humidity changes the behavior of IPMC transduc-
ers, working as both sensors and actuators, because it changes
the Young modulus of the devices and, hence, their mechanical
response. The influence of temperature is suspected, because poly-
mer characteristics are often influenced by this quantity. In a
previous paper, the authors proposed a dynamic model and investi-
gated the scaling effect of geometrical parameters, giving evidence
of the excellent agreement between estimations that were obtained
using the proposed model and corresponding observations. In this
paper, the response of IPMC actuators to both temperature and
relative humidity is analyzed, giving interesting information that
both integrates IPMC models and allows for a better exploitation
of IPMCs.
Index Terms—Actuators, materials testing, measurement
system data handling, modeling, transducers.
I. I NTRODUCTION
I N the last few years, a growing activity has been provoked
by the need to design and realize sensors and actuators,
which are related to motion applications that will be imple-
mented inside the human body (taking into account the large
number of constraints that such applications impose on the
measuring devices, e.g., power supply, power consumption,
size, and biocompatibility) and space applications [1]–[3]. Sev-
eral fields of research, e.g., engineering, biomedics, and robot-
ics, invest a large amount of resources into finding materials
that can satisfy these requests [2], [4]–[8].
Researchers’ work mainly focuses on realizing devices,
named artificial muscles, to move from hard rigid materials to
soft light ones.
Manuscript received February 3, 2009; revised May 18, 2009. First published
October 30, 2009; current version published March 20, 2010. This work was
supported in part by the European Union through the Sixth Framework Pro-
gram, the Ionic Polymer–Metal Composite as Sensor and Actuator: Application
in Motion Control (ISAMCO) Project under Contract NMP2-CT-2003-505275.
The Associate Editor coordinating the review process for this paper was
Dr. Mel Siegel.
The authors are with the Dipartimento di Ingegneria Elettrica, Elettronica
e dei Sistemi, Università degli Studi di Catania, 95125 Catania, Italy (e-mail:
pietro.giannone@diees.unict.it).
Color versions of one or more of the figures in this paper are available online
at http://ieeexplore.ieee.org.
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/TIM.2009.2026613
0018-9456/$26.00 © 2009 IEEE
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893
Electroactive polymers (EAPs), particularly ionic
polymer–metal composites (IPMCs), have been around for
many years, because they have the very interesting capabilities
of transforming electrical energy into mechanical energy, and
vice versa [9]–[11], making them privileged candidates for the
realization of artificial muscles.
Although the number of proposed applications grows at an
impressive rate, full exploitation of unique IPMC properties in
motion applications has not yet been possible because of some
unsolved drawbacks from which they suffer.
Moreover, the full exploitation of IPMCs has been limited
by incomplete knowledge of their working principles, which
makes it impossible to have a clearly defined design proce-
dure. In previous papers, the authors proposed models that
can guide the design of devices with the desired performance
[12], [13]. In the referenced papers, the need to investigate the
influence of environmental parameters on IPMC performance
was outlined as a concluding remark [13]. To the authors’
knowledge, a complete characterization of IPMC transducers
as a function of modifying quantities has not yet been ac-
complished, and few analyses can be found in the literature
[10], [14].
In [14], water content and temperature are suggested as the
modifying quantities for Nafion, whereas in [10], the effect of
environmental relative humidity on IPMC mechanical charac-
teristics is experimentally investigated.
In this paper, the authors present results with regard to
the characterization of IPMC electromechanical transduction
as a function of environmental temperature and relative hu-
midity. Moreover, the characterization was intended for de-
vices that will be used in biomedical applications; thus, the
ranges for temperature [25.0 ◦ C–40.0 ◦ C] and relative humidity
[40.0%–100%] were, respectively, investigated.
To obtain the characterization of the IPMC actuator, the
electromechanical transduction model was identified for a set of
working conditions in the aforementioned ranges. The disper-
sion of the device behavior with respect to model predictions
was also estimated.
This paper is organized as follows. In Section II, the model
of the IPMC actuator is described, along with the parameters
that will be identified as a function of the modifying quantities.
In Section III, information about the experiments that were per-
formed is given. In Section IV, details about the data processing
of the recorded data are presented. In Section V, the results are
given, and in Section VI, the conclusions are drawn.
894 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INSTRUMENTATION AND MEASUREMENT, VOL. 59, NO. 4, APRIL 2010
Fig. 1. Scheme of the model for describing the electromechanical conversion
in an IPMC actuator.
Fig. 2. Equivalent electrical circuit for an IMPC-based actuator.
II. M ODEL OF THE IPMC A CTUATORS
In this section, a model of IPMC-based actuators, which were
obtained by using a gray-box approach, is described [13]. The
actuator model consists of two subsystems: one subsystem is
devoted to electrical conversion, whereas the second subsystem
is devoted to electromechanical conversion. Moreover, it is
scaled by using parameters that are under the control of the
designer. Fig. 1 shows a scheme of the model.
As largely explained in [13], the first block is devoted to
electrical conversion and is a nonlinear dynamic model, which
is represented using a lumped electrical circuit. This model
describes the nonlinear behavior that was observed from the
applied voltage Vg (t) and the current I(t) absorbed by the
IPMC. In Fig. 2, the equivalent lumped circuit of the IPMC
electrical behavior is shown for convenience. Currents through
resistances R1 and Rn do not produce any mechanical effect,
whereas the current that flows through the two capacitive
branches of the circuit produces a mechanical reaction. Only
a fraction of the absorbed current produces the mechanical
reaction because of body resistances that waste part of this
current, and the portion of the current absorbed IC (t) is linked
to the mechanical reaction.
The current IC (t) produces a charge redistribution and then
a stress inside the IPMC [15], [16]. Depending on the boundary
conditions, the stress can be transduced into either a blocked
force f (t) or a free deflection δ(t).
In particular, the relationships between the current that flows
in the two capacitive branches and the produced blocked force
f or free deflection δ can be estimated using the classical
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Bernoulli–Euler theory [17] and the current that flows in the
frequency domain are
f f 1 3Y dt2
= = (1)
IC IC2 + IC3 s η(Lt + Lclamp )4Ls
 
δ δ 1 3dL2s 1
= =
IC IC2 + IC3 s η(Lt + Lclamp )wt 1 + s2 12L
4
4ρ
t
2 Γ Yt
(2)
where [13]
Lclamp length of the clamped part of the IPMC;
Lt total free length of the IPMC (without considering
the length of the pinned part);
Ls point where the force or the deflection is measured;
w and t dimensions of the IPMC cross section;
η equivalent permittivity that corresponds to the two
capacitive branches;
Y Young modulus;
d coupling electromechanical coefficient;
Γ value that depends on the solution of the charac-
teristic equation of the clamped beam for the first
mode;
ρ IPMC density.
In (1) and (2), the quantities d and Y have to be identified
as a function of the sample being tested and the modifying
quantities.
III. E XPERIMENTAL D ETAILS
As explained in the previous sections, geometrical and phys-
ical parameters [see (1) and (2)] appear in the IPMC actu-
ator model. Although the geometrical parameters represent
the dimensions of the IPMC transducer that was used, the
physical parameters need to be identified by using data-driven
procedures.
In previous works, the authors have shown a complete pro-
cedure for the identification of the IPMC transducer model
[13]. By experimental observations, it can be asserted that the
behavior of IPMC transducers is due to two different terms: 1)
the dispersion of the transducer response with equal operating
conditions and 2) the dependence of the transducer response on
the modifying quantities. To take these aspects into account, an
adequate methodology and a suitable experimental setup have
to be developed.
In performing the characterization, the following steps are
necessary [18].
1) Examine the physics of the device under test (DUT).
2) Identify and list the modifying quantities.
3) Procure or produce apparatus that will allow all signifi-
cant inputs to be varied over the ranges that were consid-
ered, fixed by the operating conditions of the envisaged
applications using this kind of transducers.
4) Develop the desired input–output relations and uncer-
tainty estimation.
One envisaged application for IPMC transducers is to realize
a device that will be used inside the human body; thus, the
authors focused their attention on two particular modifying
quantities: 1) temperature and 2) humidity. Moreover, their
BRUNETTO et al.: CHARACTERIZATION OF TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY INFLUENCE ON IPMC ACTUATORS
TABLE I
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ACTUATOR FOR THE
CHARACTERIZATION PROCESS
TABLE II
MODIFYING INPUTS AND THEIR VARIATION RANGE
TABLE III
PARAMETERS FOR THE ACQUISITION OF THE SIGNAL IN
THE C HARACTERIZATION OF THE A CTUATOR
range of variation was chosen as a function of the physiological
values of the human body.
As far as the IPMC actuator is concerned, the device for the
experiments was an IPMC with the following characteristics.
Four samples have been considered for the execution of the
experiments. Details about samples are reported in Table I.
The ranges in Table II were investigated for the modifying
inputs.
As stated in [13], to identify the model, the applied voltage,
the absorbed current, the developed force, and the produced
deflection must be taken into account. For each pair of tempera-
ture and humidity values in Table II, the data that were required
for the identification process were acquired by using the setting
parameters in Table III.
To estimate the dispersion of the measured quantities, 20
measurement surveys were executed on each IPMC sample for
each influence quantity.
Each sample was picked up from a solution of deionized
water with sodium as a counterion. Based on the preliminary
investigations, it was observed that 20 min guaranteed for
the actuator in equilibrium with the environmental conditions.
Thus, the experiments were executed after the membrane was
maintained for 20 min in the chamber. After the experiment, the
IPMC was again immersed in the water solution, and another
sample was picked up.
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895
Fig. 3. Scheme of the instrumentation tool for characterizing the IPMC
actuators.
A total of 20 × 4 × 16 valid surveys were produced. In
particular, the number of measurements that were performed is
20, the number of different measurements that were needed for
the identification of the actuator models (1) and (2), is 4, and the
number of different conditions due to the modifying quantities
is 16. Data were acquired by using a dedicated software tool
that was developed in LabVIEW through the data acquisition
card PCI 6052E.
In the following sections, for comparison, experimental data
that correspond to a temperature of 30.0 ◦ C and a humidity level
of 80.0% will be considered, although the investigation was
performed for the whole set of 16 possible pairs of modifying
quantities.
The characterization of IPMC-based actuators was realized
by using an ad hoc measuring system that was developed for
this task. The measuring system can
1) impose the working value for the environmental
temperature;
2) impose the working value for the environmental relative
humidity;
3) impose the input (voltage) signal;
4) measure the input–output model values, i.e., the imposed
voltage, the absorbed current, the free deflection, and the
blocked force.
The instrumentation for the characterization of the actuator
is shown in Fig. 3.
The system comprises the following devices:
1) a chamber that produces a controlled working environ-
ment, where both relative humidity and temperature can
vary in a controlled way in the ranges of interest;
2) a thermal element for varying the temperature;
3) a system for varying the humidity level;
4) measurement devices for sensing the changes in the
modifying inputs, i.e., one humidity and one temperature
sensor, respectively;
5) conditioning circuitry;
896 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INSTRUMENTATION AND MEASUREMENT, VOL. 59, NO. 4, APRIL 2010

Fig. 6. Top: train of symmetric step inputs and amplitude modulated noise
voltage signal used as input to the IPMC actuator to characterize the dynamic
Fig. 4. Setup for the characterization of the IPMC actuator. part in its model. Bottom: relative current response.

Fig. 5. Top: triangular voltage signal at 25 mHz, which was used as an input to
the IPMC actuator to characterize the nonlinear element in its model. Bottom:
relative current response.

6) one laser sensor that reveals the IPMC free deformation Fig. 7. Top: step voltage signal (3.0 V) that was used as an input to the
that was produced under the effect of an applied voltage; IPMC actuator to characterize the blocked force. Bottom: relative force that
was developed by the IPMC actuator and measured by the load cell.
7) one load cell that reveals the IPMC developed force that
was produced under the effect of an applied voltage.
In Fig. 4, a real view of the developed system is shown,
including the LM35 temperature sensor by the National Semi-
conductors and the HIH 3610 Honeywell humidity sensor. The
GSO-10 Transducers Techniques load cell was used to measure
the developed blocking force, whereas the Baumer OADM
12U6460/S35A laser sensor was used for the measurement of
the IPMC displacement.

A. Voltage-to-Current Transduction
Identification of the electric circuit (see Fig. 2) that models
the currents that flow in the various branches requires two
different measuring surveys [13].
The first measurement is needed for the identification of the
nonlinearity, and this task can be achieved by forcing on the Fig. 8. Top: swept sinusoidal voltage signal (peak-to-peak value 5 V,
50 mHz–50 Hz, 10 s) that was used as an input to the IPMC actuator to
actuator a triangular voltage signal at very low frequencies to characterize the free deflection. Bottom: relative free deflection.
neglect the capacitive behavior of the IPMC actuator.
The input voltage and relative absorbed current for the afore- pair of humidity and temperature values in Table II. A total of
mentioned case study are shown in Fig. 5. 20 measuring surveys were performed for each pair of modify-
As reported in Fig. 5, a number of measurements were ing quantities. This approach allowed us both to obtain a mean
performed by applying the same input voltage signal for any model and to estimate the measurement dispersion.

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BRUNETTO et al.: CHARACTERIZATION OF TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY INFLUENCE ON IPMC ACTUATORS 897

Fig. 9. (a) From the top: the current that was absorbed by the actuator for the input voltage signal in Fig. 6, the laser sensor output when a swept sinusoidal
voltage signal is applied to the actuator, and the load cell conditioned output when the actuator is forced by a step voltage signal. (b) Zooms for the same quantities.

The aforementioned input signal allows for the identification branches, can be identified using input signals that force the
of parameters in the static part of the electrical model. The dynamic response of the actuator in the frequency range of
dynamic part of the model, which comprises the two capacitive interest. The signal consists of a sequence of steps with different

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898 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INSTRUMENTATION AND MEASUREMENT, VOL. 59, NO. 4, APRIL 2010
Fig. 10. Comparison of the predicted and measured absorbed current, the standard deviation of the residuals, and the 3σ confidence level.
amplitudes and a sequence of samples of amplitude modulated
noise. This choice proved to be the most adequate for the
identification process.
The input signal and the relative current response are shown
in Fig. 6.
Again, 20 different measurements were performed for each
pair of humidity and temperature values in Table II.
Once the electric circuit has been identified, it is possible
to estimate the fraction of absorbed current that produces the
mechanical reaction and use it for the estimation of either
free deflection or blocking force after the identification of the
electromechanical parameters of the model has been performed.
1) Electromechanical Transduction: To identify the parame-
ters that appear in the electromechanical models (1) and (2), mea-
surements of the blocking force and free deflection are needed
[13], [17], and (1) and (2) must simultaneously be solved.
For the case of the blocking force, a step voltage (0 V÷3 V)
with a duration of 10.0 s was applied to the IPMC actuator, and
the developed force was measured by using the load cell. The
input signal and relative force developed by the DUT are shown
in Fig. 7.
To measure the free deflection that was needed for the model
estimation, a swept sinusoidal voltage signal with a peak-to-
peak amplitude that is equal to 5.0 V, a frequency of 50 mHz–
50.0 Hz, and a duration that is equal to 10.0 s was applied to the
IPMC actuator, and the free deflection was measured by using
the aforementioned laser system. The input voltage and relative
free deflection measured by the laser displacement sensor are
shown in Fig. 8.
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Note that the swept signal that was adopted can solicit only
the first resonant frequency. The proposed electromechanical
model is based on the theory of the cantilever beam, which is
not accurate over this frequency without corrections. Moreover,
the application for the IPMC actuator does not require a work-
ing frequency that is higher than this frequency.
The measurements of both the blocked force and the free
deflection were also performed 20 times.
IV. D ATA P ROCESSING
The collected data were used to identify relevant parameters
in the IPMC actuator model and the corresponding model
uncertainty. The dependence of the identified model on the
modifying inputs was also of interest. For each pair of modify-
ing inputs (temperature and humidity), the model of the actuator
was identified, and its uncertainty was estimated.
The identified model was used for the estimation of the
actuator output. The estimated values were therefore compared
with the recorded values to obtain the model residuals.
A statistical analysis of the model residual was performed
to obtain a type-A estimation of the actuator uncertainty [19]
by using the experimental value of the standard deviation of
the residuals. Once the standard deviation was estimated, the
coverage factor k = 3 was used to compute the 3σ confidence
level as a function of the modifying inputs.
One typical example of an available signal set is shown in
Fig. 9(a), along with the signal that was predicted by the model.
Fig. 9(b) zooms in on the results that were obtained, thus better
BRUNETTO et al.: CHARACTERIZATION OF TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY INFLUENCE ON IPMC ACTUATORS 899

Fig. 11. Comparison of the predicted and measured free deflection, the standard deviation of the residuals, and the 3σ confidence interval.

Fig. 12. Comparison of the predicted and measured blocking force, the standard deviation of the residuals, and the 3σ confidence interval.

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900 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INSTRUMENTATION AND MEASUREMENT, VOL. 59, NO. 4, APRIL 2010

Fig. 13. Comparison of (a) the predicted and measured resonant frequency and (b) oscillation amplitude, the standard deviation of the residuals, and the
3σ confidence level.

showing the identified model behavior. In Fig. 9(b), the results

that were predicted by using the proposed IPMC actuator model
are indicated by a dotted line.
Estimation of the model current prediction capability was
performed. The estimated current was compared with the ab-
sorbed current, and the standard deviation of the residuals and
the 3σ confidence level were estimated.
The results for the chosen example are given in Fig. 10,
where all the acquired values of the absorbed current are
shown versus the model predictions, along with the obtained
confidence interval.
The value σ = 0.012 was obtained for the experimental resid-
ual standard deviation. By using a coverage factor k = 3, the ex-
perimental confidence level that was obtained is equal to 97.7%.
The same analysis was performed for the free deflection, and
the estimated values were again compared with the recorded
deflection to obtain the model uncertainty. The results are given
in Fig. 11.
Finally, the quality of the prediction capability of the blocked
Fig. 14. Free deflection of the actuator with different humidity levels at a fixed
force was estimated. The results are given in Fig. 12. temperature.
In some applications of motion actuators, particularly in the
cantilever configuration, the following two relevant parameters The aforementioned analysis was repeated for each of the
were used: 1) the resonant frequency (if any) and 2) the oscil- working conditions that were fixed by the testing system to
lation amplitude [7], [20]. Further analysis was conducted with search for any dependence of the actuator behavior on the mod-
respect to the estimation capability of these quantities. The re- ifying inputs. This analysis produced a set of “hypersurfaces”
sults are shown in Fig. 13. The processing of experimental data with regard to both the free deflection and the blocking force.
revealed that, although the model can satisfactorily estimate the As an example, Fig. 14 shows the dependence of the
IPMC actuator resonance value, the estimation of the corre- free deflection, as well as the considered environmental
sponding vibration amplitude is affected by a large bias value. humidity values and a fixed working environment temperature.

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BRUNETTO et al.: CHARACTERIZATION OF TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY INFLUENCE ON IPMC ACTUATORS 901

Fig. 15. Resonant frequency of the actuator with different humidity levels at a fixed temperature.

Fig. 16. Blocking force that was developed by the actuator with different humidity levels at a fixed temperature.

Fig. 14 shows the average IPMC actuator deformation for
20 recordings.
In Fig. 15, the same working conditions as in Fig. 14 are con-
sidered to show the IPMC behavior in the frequency domain.
It shows the modulus of quotient of the cross power spectral
density between the applied voltage and the deformation and
the power spectral density of the applied voltage. Note that,
although the actuator is nonlinear, it shows a sharp resonance.
Moreover, the results show the effect of the environmental
humidity on both the amplitude of the resonance value and the
corresponding frequency value.
A similar dependence was observed when the blocking force
was analyzed. The data that were obtained in this case are
shown in Fig. 16.
One example of the behavior of the IPMC actuator as a
function of the environmental temperature is shown in Figs. 17
and 18. In this second analysis, the environmental humidity is
fixed to 80%, whereas the environmental temperature varies

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902 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INSTRUMENTATION AND MEASUREMENT, VOL. 59, NO. 4, APRIL 2010

Fig. 17. Resonant frequency of the actuator at different temperatures and a fixed humidity level.

Fig. 18. Blocking force that was developed by the actuator at different temperatures and a fixed humidity level.

in the range of interest. Based on a perusal analysis of the
results, it is possible to conclude that, for the considered range
of temperature values, no clear trend can be recognized.
In the following section, the complete set of investigated
working conditions and the results that were obtained will be
presented to show the dependence of the IPMC actuator on the
modifying quantities and the uncertainty that was estimated for
the model that describes the IPMC-based actuator.
V. R ESULTS AND D ISCUSSION
In this section, the results on the characterization of the IPMC
actuator as a function of the modifying inputs will be presented.
As outlined in Section III, two modifying inputs were consid-
ered. For any pair of modifying inputs, a set of measurements
was performed to obtain the model parameters and the uncer-
tainty estimation of this model.
In Table IV, the whole set of identified model parameters is
shown as a function of both temperature T and humidity H.
All the parameters and symbols that were adopted refer to
the electromechanical models (1) and (2).
As far as the uncertainty estimation is concerned, a Type-A
estimation was performed. In the following figures, the results
that were obtained in the uncertainty estimation will be shown.
For each quantity of interest, the respective uncertainty is
reported as a function of the modifying input values.

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BRUNETTO et al.: CHARACTERIZATION OF TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY INFLUENCE ON IPMC ACTUATORS 903

TABLE IV
MODEL PARAMETERS AS A FUNCTION OF THE MODIFYING INPUTS

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904 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INSTRUMENTATION AND MEASUREMENT, VOL. 59, NO. 4, APRIL 2010

Fig. 19. Surface that was generated by collecting the information on the uncertainty estimation of the absorbed current in different working conditions.

Fig. 20. Surface that was generated by collecting the information on the uncertainty estimation of the IPMC deformation in different working conditions.

Fig. 19(a) reports the uncertainty due to the model that
was adopted as a function of both temperature and humidity,
whereas Fig. 19(b) reports the experimental confidence level
that was obtained by using the considered coverage factor
k = 3.
Fig. 20 gives the results that were obtained in the estimation
of the uncertainty with regard to the IPMC deformation.
Based on the analysis in Figs. 19(a) and 20(a), it is possible to
observe that the standard deviation of both the absorbed current
and the free deflection increases with the humidity level.
Fig. 21 gives the uncertainty estimation results with regard
to the IPMC blocking force. In this case, the dependence of the
model uncertainty on the humidity level is not present.
Fig. 22 gives the uncertainty estimation results with regard to
the capability of the model to estimate the resonant frequency
of the IPMC in the cantilever configuration.
In Fig. 23, the uncertainty of the model for the estimation
of the IPMC deformation at the resonant frequency is shown.
Figs. 22 and 23 emphasize the performance of the model in a
working condition that is critical because of the presence of a
resonance.
As mentioned in the previous section, the modifying in-
puts cause changes in the performance of the actuator. These
changes are much more evident when the humidity changes,
whereas no important variations are shown when the tempera-
ture changes. Fig. 24 gives the results that were obtained, with
the free deflection and the blocking force being a function of
temperature and humidity, respectively.
VI. S UMMARY AND C ONCLUSION
Full exploitation of IPMC actuators requires models of the
devices to be available, along with the corresponding uncer-
tainty estimation. In this paper, the characterization of a set
of IPMC-based actuators has been performed to investigate
variations in model parameters due to the effects of external

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BRUNETTO et al.: CHARACTERIZATION OF TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY INFLUENCE ON IPMC ACTUATORS 905

Fig. 21. Surface that was generated by collecting the information on the uncertainty estimation of the IPMC blocking force in different working conditions.

Fig. 22. Surface that was generated by collecting the information on the uncertainty estimation of the resonant frequency in different working conditions.

Fig. 23. Surface that was generated by collecting the information on the uncertainty estimation of the amplitude deformation at resonant frequency in different
working conditions.

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906 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INSTRUMENTATION AND MEASUREMENT, VOL. 59, NO. 4, APRIL 2010

Fig. 24. Blocking force and the magnitude of the ratio free deflection/applied voltage in different working conditions.

influential quantities, i.e., temperature and environmental hu-
midity. The investigated IPMC actuators showed a strong de-
pendence on the humidity level of the environment, whereas no
significant dependence emerged as a function of the environ-
mental temperature.
Note that the results are linked to the investigated interval
of variations for the modifying quantities, which are depen-
dent on the envisaged applications, i.e., biomedical applica-
tions of the IPMC actuators. Nevertheless, such dependencies
can arise if larger intervals of variation are of interest for

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BRUNETTO et al.: CHARACTERIZATION OF TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY INFLUENCE ON IPMC ACTUATORS
Fig. 24. (Continued.) Blocking force and the magnitude of the ratio free deflection/applied voltage in different working conditions.
applications other than the ones that have been considered in
this paper.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The authors would like to thank the Consorzio Catania
Ricerche, Catania, Italy, for providing the membranes that were
used in this paper, as part of a project collaboration activity.
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[1] M. Shahinpoor and J. K. S. Kim, “Ionic polymer–metal composites IV:
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May 1995.
Paola Brunetto received the M.S. degree in automa-
tion engineering in 2006 from the Università degli
Studi di Catania, Catania, Italy, where she is cur-
rently working toward the Ph.D. degree in ingegneria
elettrica elettronica e del controllo dei sistemi com-
plessi in the Dipartimento di Ingegneria Elettrica,
Elettronica e dei Sistemi.
She is the author or a coauthor of several scientific
papers, many of which were presented at interna-
tional conferences or were published in reviewed
journals. Her research interest is focused on IPMC
materials.
Paola Brunetto is a member of the Italian Association for Electrical and
Electronic Measurements (GMEE).
908 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INSTRUMENTATION AND MEASUREMENT, VOL. 59, NO. 4, APRIL 2010
Luigi Fortuna (F’00) received the M.S. degree in
electric engineering from the Università degli Studi
di Catania in 1977.
Since November 1994, he has been a Full Pro-
fessor of systems theory with the Dipartimento di
Ingegneria Elettrica, Elettronica e dei Sistemi, Uni-
versità degli studi di Catania, Catania, Italy, where
he has been the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering,
since November 2005 and is currently the Coordina-
tor of the Ph.D. courses in electronic and automatic
engineering. He is also in charge of a series of
contracts with public and private companies. He is the author of more than
350 scientific publications, seven of which were books published by interna-
tional editors. He is the holder of ten industrial patents. His research interests
include robust control, nonlinear science and complexity, chaos, cellular neural
networks, soft-computing strategies for control, robotics, micronanosensor and
smart devices for control, and nanocellular neural networks modeling.
Prof. Fortuna is Fellow of the IEEE Circuits and Systems Society.
Pietro Giannone received the M.S. and Ph.D. de-
grees in electronic engineering from the University
of Catania, Catania, Italy, in 2002 and 2006.
In 2002, he joined the Dipartimento di Ingegneria
Elettrica Elettronica e dei Sistemi, Università degli
Studi di Catania, where he is currently a Contract
Researcher. He is the author or a coauthor of more
than 40 scientific papers, many of which were pre-
sented at international conferences or were published
on reviewed journals. His research interests include
nonlinear systems, ferroelectric and piezoelectric
materials for sensors and actuators, ionic polymer–metal composites (IPMCs),
and polymeric materials for the realization of innovative transducers.
Dr. Giannone is a member of the Italian Association for Electrical and
Electronic Measurements (GMEE).
Authorized licensed use limited to: TEI OF THESSALONIKI. Downloaded on July 29,2010 at 11:01:22 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
Salvatore Graziani received the M.S. degree in
electronic engineering and the Ph.D. degree in
electrical engineering from the Università degli
Studi di Catania, Catania, Italy, in 1990 and 1994,
respectively.
Since 1990, he has been with the Dipartimento di
Ingegneria Elettrica, Elettronica, e dei Sistemi, Uni-
versità degli Studi di Catania, where he is currently
an Associate Professor of electric and electronic
measurement and instrumentation. He has been a
coauthor of several scientific papers and one book.
His research interests include sensors and actuators, signal processing, multi-
sensor data fusion, neural networks, and smart sensors.
Salvatore Strazzeri received the M.S. and Ph.D.
degrees in electronic engineering from the Università
degli Studi di Catania, Catania, Italy, in 2004 and
2008, respectively.
He is currently with the Dipartimento di
Ingegneria Elettrica, Elettronica, e dei Sistemi,
Università degli Studi di Catania. He has been a
coauthor of several scientific papers. His research
interest is focused on IPMC materials.