Student:	Deha Emre KANAR
Supervisor:	Yrd. Doç. Dr. Hülya KAFTELEN
Department:	Metalürji ve Malzeme Mühendisliği
Institution:	Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences
University:	Karadeniz Technical University Turkey

Title of the Thesis:	SYNTHESIS AND DYNAMIC ANALYSIS OF ACTUATOR WHICH CONTAIN METAL NANOPARTICLE DOPED GRAPHENE BASED ELCTRODE AND CHITOSAN ELECTROLYTE
Level:	M.Sc.
Acceptance Date:	23/9/2016
Number of Pages:	85
Registration Number:	i3117

Summary:

Ionic polymer - metal composite actuators are members of Electro Active Polymers

which are part of smart devices. They are most widely used in artificial muscles. However,

the cracks which are formed at the surface of metalic eletrodes, adversly affect the actuator

performance. In this study, graphene based electrodes were produced as an alternative for

metalic electrodes. Silver and gold nanoparticles were doped into the graphene electrodes

thereby increasing their electrical conductivity. In addition, different methods were used to

reduce graphene oxide and their effects on the performance of the actuator were investigated.

The actuator which had the highest conductivity value and moving performance was

prepared by the double-reduced and silver doped electrodes. The mobility of this sample was

17 mm. Following that, hidrazine-reduced and silver doped actuators (with the mobility of

6,6 mm) and triple reduced silver doped actuators (with the mobility of 1,09 mm) were

obtained. In another group, gold doped actuators, different manufacturing process caused

lower electrical conductivity and actuator performance. In this group, the hidrazine reduced

gold doped actuators had 0,18 mm mobility while the double reduced gold doped actuators

showed no mobility.

Key Words: Electro-Active Polymer, Actuator Production, Graphene, Reduction of

Graphene, Doping Metal Nanoparticles.