ELECTRONIC SUPPORTING INFORMATION Conducting polymer artificial muscle fibres: toward an open-air linear actuation Cedric Plesse, Frederic Vidal, Dominique Teyssié and Claude Chevrot Laboratoire de Physico-chimie des Polymères et des Interfaces, Université de Cergy-Pontoise, Neuville sur Oise, 95031 Cergy-Pontoise, France Experimental Section Chemicals. Methoxy poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate (PEGM, M w = 300 g.mol -1 ), poly(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate (PEGDM, M w = 875 g.mol -1 ), α, ω dihydroxy poly(ethyleneoxide) (PEOdiOH, M w = 1500 g.mol -1 ), and dibutyltin dilaurate (DBTDL 95 %) were obtained from Aldrich and used without further purification. 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) (Bayer) was distilled under reduced pressure prior to be used. Toluene (Carlo-Erba), methanol (Carlo-Erba), anhydrous iron III chloride (Acros), and Desmodur ® N3300 (5.2 10 -3 mole of NCO for 1g of Desmodur ® ) (Bayer) were used without further purification. Azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) (Aldrich) was recristallized in methanol. Synthetic procedure of Poly(ethyleneoxide) / Poly(ethyleneoxide) IPN SPEs (PEO/PEO IPN). PEO/PEO IPN is prepared according to the following procedure. Typically, AIBN is used for methacrylate function initiation of PEGDM and PEGM in the formation of the first PEO network. Desmodur ® N3300 is the PEOdiOH crosslinker and DBTDL is the catalyst of the reaction between NCO and OH functions. The mixture of PEGDM, PEGM and PEOdiOH (0.1 / 0.4 / 0.5 weight proportions) were poured into a flask. Desmodur ® (1.1 eq / OH functions) and AIBN (3 wt% of the PEGDM-PEGM mass) are then added to the mixture. 3,4- ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) (120wt% versus total PEO weight) is then added to ensure the homogeneity of the mixture. The solution was stirred under argon atmosphere during 30 minutes. DBTDL was added (10 mol% / OH functions) and the mixture was poured into a mould. The mould was heated at 60 °C for 3 hours and post-cured for 1 hour at 80 °C. The EDOT swollen hollow IPN fibers are stored at 5°C under argon. Synthetic procedure of Conducting Polymer Based IPN Actuator. The EDOT polymerization is performed by chemical oxidation with iron chloride aqueous solution under microwave Supplementary Material (ESI) for Chemical Communications This journal is (c) The Royal Society of Chemistry 2010