The morphology, polar phase content and conductivity of PVDF nanofibres were enhanced by adding ionic substances to the electrospinning solution.

Self-healing dielectric elastomers are promising for bioinspired actuator and generator applications due to their unique characteristics, such as their lightweight nature, low cost, ease of processing, extended durability, and operational reliability. [1] For example, dielectric elastomer actuators are required to undergo cyclic mechanical deformation when subjected to high electric fields; [2] therefore, they need both high mechanical elasticity and high dielectric permittivity to ensure a high efficiency. In addition, self-healable dielectric elastomers are promising materials for the design of high-performance musclelike actuators. [3] Due to the low Young's modulus, silicone-based elastomers have been widely investigated for actuators and soft systems [4] capable of providing a smooth expansion and contraction at high levels of strain. Recent advances in self-healing technologies have provided a route to create more durable silicone-based soft devices. [5] Bao et al. reported a self-healing polydimethylsiloxane that was crosslinked by coordination complexes to provide high strain, high dielectric strength, and large actuation levels. [6] The materials expanded by 3.6% under a high applied electric potential of 11 kV when used for artificial muscle

New insights on the impact of the hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions on the temperature-dependencies of the self-healing and electromechanical properties of the dielectric elastomers.

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