Superior actuation performance and healability achieved in a transparent, highly stretchable dielectric elastomer film

Abstract

Dielectric elastomers widely used for actuation applications (e.g., soft robots, tunable optics) are vulnerable to mechanical damage, so healability is crucial and related to the reliability and service lifetime of...

Towards high performance and durable soft tactile actuators

“…Thus, a wide variety of supramolecular elastomers have been applied to achieve self-healing DEAs. 86,[244][245][246][247]258,[267][268][269][270][271] While works on self-healing DEAs have focused on either the self-healable electrodes or the dielectric layer, Duan et al developed a self-healing DEA based on hydrogen bonding, with carboxyl groups playing a vital role in achieving high dielectric constants (7.6 @ 50 Hz) and facilitating self-healing. 244 By tuning polyaniline (PANi) content in the This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2024 matrix, elastomers with even higher dielectric constants (11.11 @ 50 Hz) at 2.5 wt% and conductivity (4.5 Â 10 À5 S cm À1 ) at 20 wt% were obtained, serving as the dielectric layer and electrodes, respectively.…”

Improved electro‐actuation property of dielectric elastomer composites regulated by one‐dimensional CaCu3Ti4O12@TiO2 core–shell construction

“…In recent years, researchers employed low‐molecular weight plasticizers such as dibutoxyethoxyethyl formal, 17 naphthenic oil, 18 glycerol triesters, 19 tributyl citrate, 20 dibutyl phthalate, 21 and so forth, to decrease the Y of DE composites. Lu et al utilized epoxidized soybean oil as a plasticizer to reduce the Y (from 1.90 to 0.65 MPa) and thus improve the electro‐actuated strain (from 1.45% to 8.89%) of epoxidized natural rubber‐based composites 22 .…”

Effects of soft and hard fillers on electromechanical properties and performance of polydimethylsiloxane elastomer for actuator applications

“…41,42 There are numerous of literature discussing the synergistic effect of two different fillers on the behavior of elastomers. 43,44 Still, the contribution of individual fillers on properties and performance especially in terms of the soft and hard filler is yet to be completely understood.…”

“…The presence of slide rings in silicon material act as crosslinks that are allowed to slide on main chain, thereby increasing relative permittivity, reducing elastic behavior, and preventing strain hardening ability of elastomers [38] [39]. There are numerous of literature discussing the synergistic effect of two different fillers on the behavior of elastomers [40] [41]. Still, the contribution of individual fillers on properties and performance especially in terms of the soft and hard filler is yet to be completely understood.…”