Electrochemical actuation of nanoporous Ni in NaOH solution

The fabrication of a bilayer-stacked Ni electrochemical actuator is reported. The stacked bilayer sheet composed of bulk and nanoporous Ni deformed when a potential of ± 1 V was applied in aqueous NaOH solution, which is the first report of nanoporous Ni exhibiting actuation characteristics. Actuation is considered to have a strong relationship with the electrical double layer, because cyclic voltammetric measurements suggested that the effect of oxygen adsorption on the surface was minor. The results suggest that nanoporous Ni can be used as an actuator, and it has potential in being applied for commercial use because of its low price and high availability