# US 2025/0093290 A1 · Electrochemical artificial muscle system and electrochemical artificial muscle testing device

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- Number: US 2025/0093290 A1
- Document ID: US20250093290A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 18/290,809
- Filed: 2022-12-09
- Published: 2025-03-20
- Earliest claimed: 2022-03-15
- Assignees: Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics (Sinano) , Chinese Academy of Sciences
- Applicants: Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics (Sinano) , Chinese Academy of Sciences
- Inventors: Jiangtao DI; Ming REN; Panpan XU; Qingwen LI
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20250093290A1

## CPC

- G01N 27/30: Electrodes, e.g. test electrodes; Half-cells (G01N27/414 takes precedence)
- G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q)

## Abstract

An electrochemical artificial muscle system and an electrochemical artificial muscle testing device are provided. The electrochemical artificial muscle system includes a working electrode including a conductive yarn having a helical structure; a counter electrode containing selected metal elements; an electrolyte including an ionic liquid containing selected ions, the selected ions including the selected metal elements; where the working electrode and the counter electrode are all in contact with the electrolyte. The artificial muscle system based on an aluminum ion battery system has a contractile retention (catch state) characteristic, i.e., artificial muscle yarns contract when a voltage is applied, and after the voltage is removed, the contraction state of the artificial muscle yarn is remained, within almost no any decay within 450 s. The artificial muscle yarn has good energy storage properties with a capacity of 20-100 mAh·g−1 so that the energy for injecting artificial muscle during the driving is stored.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An electrochemical artificial muscle system, comprising:
a working electrode, wherein the working electrode comprises a conductive yarn having a coiled or helical structure;
a counter electrode, wherein the counter electrode comprises selected metal elements; and
an electrolyte, wherein the electrolyte comprises an ionic liquid containing selected ions, and the selected ions comprises the selected metal elements;
wherein the working electrode and the counter electrode are in contact with the electrolyte,
when a specified voltage is applied to the working and counter electrodes to charge the electrochemical artificial muscle system, the selected ions are allowed to be inserted into the conductive yarn, wherein the conductive yarn contracts along a self-length direction, and when the specified voltage applied to the working and counter electrodes is removed, the inserted ions are lock in the conductive yarn and make the conductive yarn keep a contraction state;
when the electrochemical artificial muscle system is externally discharged, the selected ions are allowed to detach from the conductive yarn, wherein the conductive yarn is restored to an initial length.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The electrochemical artificial muscle system according to claim 1, wherein the working electrode is obtained by twisting the conductive yarn until forming the coiled or helical structure.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The electrochemical artificial muscle system according to claim 1, wherein a twist of the conductive yarn having the coiled or helical structure is 1000 r/m-5000 r/m; and a diameter of the conductive yarn having the coiled or helical structure is 10 μm-500 μm.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The electrochemical artificial muscle system according to claim 1, wherein the conductive yarn comprises one or a combination of more than two of a carbon nanotube yarn, a graphene yarn, a graphite fiber, and a carbon fiber.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The electrochemical artificial muscle system according to claim 1, wherein the selected ions comprise one of AlCl4−, a lithium-ion, and a zinc ion; and the ionic liquid comprises an EMImAlCl4 ionic liquid or a salt solution containing lithium ions and/or zinc ions.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The electrochemical artificial muscle system according to claim 1, wherein the selected metal elements contained in the counter electrode comprise one or more than two of aluminum, lithium, and zinc elements; and a material of the counter electrode comprises an alloy formed by one or more than two metals selected from aluminum, lithium, and zinc.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The electrochemical artificial muscle system according to claim 1, wherein when the specified voltage applied to the working and counter electrodes is removed, a longest time when the conductive yarn keeps the contraction state is 450 s;
an electrochemical capacity of the working electrode is 20-100 mAh·g−1; and
the specified voltage is 0-2.2 V.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

An electrochemical artificial muscle testing device, comprising:
the electrochemical artificial muscle system according to claim 1, wherein a first end of the working electrode being is fixed on an electrode clamp;
a load fixedly connected to a second end of the working electrode and configured to pull the working electrode along a length direction of the working electrode; and
a displacement monitoring mechanism at least configured for measuring a displacement of the load.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The electrochemical artificial muscle testing device according to claim 8, wherein the displacement monitoring mechanism comprises a displacement sensor.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The electrochemical artificial muscle testing device according to claim 8, further comprising a cathode and an anode, wherein
the cathode is electrically connected to the working electrode,
the anode is electrically connected to the counter electrode, and
the cathode and the anode are configured for being connected to a power source and charging the electrochemical artificial muscle system, and for being electrically connected to the load and discharging the electrochemical artificial muscle system.

### Claim 11 (depends on 2)

The electrochemical artificial muscle system according to claim 2, wherein a twist of the conductive yarn having the coiled or helical structure is 1000 r/m-5000 r/m; and a diameter of the conductive yarn having the coiled or helical structure is 10 μm-500 μm.

### Claim 12 (depends on 2)

The electrochemical artificial muscle system according to claim 2, wherein the conductive yarn comprises one or a combination of more than two of a carbon nanotube yarn, a graphene yarn, a graphite fiber, and a carbon fiber.

### Claim 13 (depends on 8)

The electrochemical artificial muscle testing device according to claim 8, wherein the working electrode is obtained by twisting the conductive yarn until forming the coiled or helical structure.

### Claim 14 (depends on 8)

The electrochemical artificial muscle testing device according to claim 8, wherein a twist of the conductive yarn having the coiled or helical structure is 1000 r/m-5000 r/m; and a diameter of the conductive yarn having the coiled or helical structure is 10 μm-500 μm.

### Claim 15 (depends on 8)

The electrochemical artificial muscle testing device according to claim 8, wherein the conductive yarn comprises one or a combination of more than two of a carbon nanotube yarn, a graphene yarn, a graphite fiber, and a carbon fiber.

### Claim 16 (depends on 8)

The electrochemical artificial muscle testing device according to claim 8, wherein the selected ions comprise one of AlCl4−, a lithium-ion, and a zinc ion; and the ionic liquid comprises an EMImAlCl4 ionic liquid or a salt solution containing lithium ions and/or zinc ions.

### Claim 17 (depends on 8)

The electrochemical artificial muscle testing device according to claim 8, wherein the selected metal elements contained in the counter electrode comprise one or more than two of aluminum, lithium, and zinc elements; and a material of the counter electrode comprises an alloy formed by one or more than two metals selected from aluminum, lithium, and zinc.

### Claim 18 (depends on 8)

The electrochemical artificial muscle testing device according to claim 8, wherein when the specified voltage applied to the working and counter electrodes is removed, a longest time when the conductive yarn keeps the contraction state is 450 s;
an electrochemical capacity of the working electrode is 20-100 mAh·g−1; and
the specified voltage is 0-2.2 V.
