Electromechanical response of fungus polysaccharide gel artificial muscle prepared from tremella fuciformis extract and carboxylated chitosan.

In recent years, natural polymeric materials have been widely used in biogel artificial muscles. As a natural fungal polysaccharide material, tremella fuciformis extract (TFE) contains many hydroxyl and carboxyl groups. It also exhibits efficient mass transfer. In this study, we used a fungus polysaccharide gel artificial muscle (FPAM) prepared with carboxylated chitosan and TFE as the main raw materials. The effects of the material ratios on the electrochemical and mechanical properties were experimentally verified with the driving voltage and FPAM size. The results indicated that the optimal performance was reached when 1 g of TFE was added. The large folded structures on the surface were uniformly distributed. The FPAM exhibited weak intermolecular forces and high crystallinity. Compared to that of the control group, the current was approximately 1.5 times higher (the peak current at the optimal proportion was 0.1 A), and the specific capacitance was approximately 2.6 times higher (the specific capacitance with the optimal proportions was 73.589 F/g). The higher ion migration efficiency provided better conductivity. With the optimal proportions, the output force reached a maximum of 2.914 mN, and the elastic modulus was 15 MPa. The enhanced electromechanical response of the FPAM prepared from natural fungal polysaccharides resulted in substantial biocompatibility, providing a new solution for artificial muscle biogel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]