Copyright © 2026 Authors retain the copyright of this article. This article is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

@article{207403,
        author = {Ameya Nijasure and Priam Pillai},
        title = {Development and Validation of an Instrument for Measuring Actuation Behaviour of Non-freestanding Conducting Polymer Films},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2026},
        volume = {13},
        number = {3},
        pages = {666-671},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=207403},
        abstract = {Conducting Polymer as actuators have gained attentions due to their low operating voltage, lightweight structure and high strain generation. Conducting Polymer to be used as an actuator, Characterization of actuation in terms of force generated in essential for practical application. However, conventional force measurement techniques require freestanding films, which complicates early-stage material characterization. This work introduces novel instrument designed for the in situ measurement of actuation force in non-freestanding films directly deposited in electrodes. The system integrates load cell with probe designed to measure force generated due to electrochemically induced swelling in the thickness direction. The instrument is validated using electrochemically synthesized polypyrrole films of varying thicknesses. The results demonstrate stable and repeatable force in the direction of thickness, measured in the range of the milli-Newtons (mN). The instrument was validated using polypyrrole (PPy) films of varying thicknesses, demonstrating stable and repeatable force measurements in the milli-Newton (mN) range under a step function of +2V to -2V. This system eliminates the need for time-consuming freestanding film preparation, offering a scalable and efficient tool for rapid material screening and actuator development during the early synthesis phase.},
        keywords = {Electromechanical Force Generation, In Situ Measurement, Polypyrrole (PPy) Actuators, Propylene Carbonate Electrolytes, Non-Freestanding Films,},
        month = {August},
        }