Surface profile topography of ionic polymer metal composite based on fractal theory

Abstract In this study, ionic polymer-metal composite (IPMC) with platinum and copper electrodes are prepared, and their surface and cross-section morphology are analyzed. The accuracies of fractal dimension are compared and analyzed by dividers method, the box dimension method and the structure function method. Based on the Weirstrass-Mandelbrot (WM) function model of fractal theory, the fractal parameters of IPMC interface are calculated, and the modified WM model is used to simulate the two-dimensional and three-dimensional interface profiles. The results show that the contact form between Nafion membrane and electrode layer is irregular surface with continuous and self-similar. The simulation of interface profile based on the WM function model can effectively represent the interface profile, and the introduced characteristic roughness can reflect the characteristics of the interface profile. The fractal theory is of great significance to the characterization of interface profile of IPMC, which will provide a new idea and method to analyze the intrinsic mechanism of IPMC from the fractal perspective.