Direct observation by laser scanning confocal microscopy of microstructure and phase migration of PVC gels in an applied electric field

The fluorescent probe lucigenin was incorporated in poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) gels, and laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) was used to clarify the internal structures of the gels. From the two-dimensional and three-dimensional information by LSCM, we first observed the internal structure of the PVC gel at a wet status, where the PVC gels comprised a polymer-rich phase and a polymer-poor phase uniformly with a three-dimensional network structure. After an electric field was applied, an effect of the electric field resulted in the change of internal structure in the gels. The polymer-poor phase moved from the cathode to the anode and the polymer-rich phase formed linelike arrangement between electrodes due to the attraction force. On the other hand, the freeze-dried PVC gels with/without in-situ dc voltage casting were particularly fabricated to confirm above results by the field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). It was found that many craters remained on the surface of the gel near the anode due to sublimation in freeze-drying. This phenomenon did not appear on the surface near the cathode. The results of in-situ dc voltage casting also suggested that a substantial amount of polymer-poor phase was moved and fixed at the anode. Thus, results of both LSCM and in-situ dc voltage casting corresponded to the effect of electric field on PVC gels and provided a convincing evidence for the interpretation of the deformation mechanism of PVC gel actuators by an applied electric field.