The Dielectric Elastomer Actuator (DEA) has garnered significant attention as an emerging electromechanical transducer across a variety of applications, including soft robotics, artificial muscles, loudspeakers, and haptic devices, among others. Researchers have explored and fabricated diverse DEA configurations to enhance their actuation forces and responses. The conical DEA construction involves pre-stretching the elastomer layer using two concentric circular rings in an out-of-plane direction, enabling the device to expand further vertically upon electrical stimulation. This study focuses on configuring a conical DEA to produce adaptive haptic feedback for a rotary knob, a component commonly utilized in automotive interiors, such as radio volume or air conditioning controls. Traditional knob designs employ a coil spring with a fixed constant to deliver predefined torque feedback during rotation without any capability to offer different haptic feeling. To overcome this limitation, a conical DEA has been fabricated, integrated with a knob, and validated with an analytical model. By manipulating the driving voltage's amplitude, frequency, and waveform, the DEA-enhanced knob can generate varied torque profiles, offering distinct detents and tactile sensations. This innovative approach in automotive applications presents the opportunity to outfit the dashboard with a single knob for multiple functions, each with unique haptic performance.
Recently, dielectric elastomers like polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and acrylic elastomers have become prevalent as foundational materials for wearable sensors and electroactive polymers. Nevertheless, a significant challenge in using these elastomers lies in their notably low surface energy, presenting issues for electrode deposition and adhesion. In applications like sensors and electroactive polymers (EAPs), it is essential to cover dielectric elastomer substrates with thin, stretchable electrodes. However, the low surface energy of these substrates complicates the production of a thin, uniform film using ink materials. Materials based on nanowires or metal vapor deposition exhibit poor adhesion to PDMS, easily peeling off and resulting in unreliability. Surface treatments, such as exposure to plasma and UV light, can temporarily elevate the surface energy of PDMS. However, this treated surface reverts to its original state within a few hours, forming a brittle surface layer prone to cracking when stretched. Notably, such treatments are ineffective for acrylic elastomers. To overcome these challenges, we have developed a viscous liquid composite ink consisting of PEDOT:PSS and PDMS (A/B). This ink can be easily applied to pristine PDMS substrates through methods like blade casting and screen printing. The coatings form a highly transparent and stretchable surface layer, acting as a compliant electrode. These coatings created using PEDOT:PSS/PDMS composite ink with Elastosil (PDMS) and 3M VHB 4910 as dielectric elastomers, result in transparent dielectric elastomer actuators. The actuation strain and breakdown fields are slightly lower than those in dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) with conventional graphite electrodes. However, the self-cleaning capability of these PEDOT:PSS/PDMS composite electrodes provides an advantage over conventional electrodes, particularly in terms of resistance to localized dielectric breakdown of DEAs.
Smart windows can electrically switch between clear and opaque states. Current smart windows based on polymer dispersed liquid crystal are expensive and they have moderate range of transparency tuning. Elastomeric tunable window devices are being researched as the low-cost alternates. They consist of a transparent elastomer substrate with surface electrodes that provide electrically controlled micro-wrinkling. They diffusely scatter the transmitted light and thus appear opaque when the surfaces are micro-wrinkled. On electrical activation the wrinkles are flattened, thus making the windows transparent like window blinds. However, the initial prototypes of these electrically tunable window devices showed limited transparency tuning because their transparent electrodes cannot be completely flattened. For example, the brownish e-beam evaporated indium-tin-oxide thin films (50 nm thick) remains mildly wrinkled (with 52.08% transmittance) even when subjected to 37% areal expansion, while its opaque state allows 39.14% transmittance. There is a need for more transparent thin-film electrode with better controllability of surface micro-wrinkling. This work reports a greatly improved tunable window device with enlarged range of transmittance tuning: a clear state of 71.5% transmittance and an opaque state of 2% transmittance. This new device made use of ultra-thin (6 nm) ITO thin films as the transparent compliant electrodes, which were initially wrinkled and can be flatten by 12.2% voltage-induced areal expansion. These ultra-thin ITO thin films are clearer with fewer thermally-induced wrinkles on the flat elastomer substrate (VHB 4905) as they were deposited at a lower surface growth temperature using the RF magnetron sputtering technique. In addition, they make compliant electrodes of higher electrical conductivity and can electrically unfold the mechanically induced micro-wrinkles by a small voltage-induced areal expansion (~12.2%). With the greatly enhanced performance, this electrically tunable window device is promising approach for low-cost smart windows.
Soft grippers based on dielectric elastomer actuator (DEA) are usually too flimsy to perform the task of pick and place on a heavier object given their low payload capacity. This work developed a new design of DEA unimorph consists of a flexible frame holding at a DEA on the discrete support by a stiffer spine-like flexure of 380μm thick Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) sheet. It finds an equilibrium of curling up when the DEA's pre-stretch is partially released; it can electrically unfolds upon a voltage application. This dielectric elastomer unimorph of 3 grams produced a maximum voltage induced bending of close to 90° and a maximum voltage-induced blocked force of up to 168mN. Given their higher stiffness and large actuation, these 3-D shaped and strengthened DEA unimorphs can make stronger grippers for passive grasping and active pinching.
Micro-winkling can turn a transparent thin-film of zinc oxide (ZnO) to be ‘opaque’ that can be reversed by unfolding to restore back to the clear state. This principle was previously used to make a mechanically tunable window device. However, ZnO thin film cannot make a compliant electrode to enable electrical unfolding due to its insulator nature. This paper reports the use of multilayer thin films of 10nm silver (Ag) and 30nm thick ZnO to form a compliant electrode with electrically tunable transmittance. A dielectric elastomer actuator (DEA) with a pair of such compliant Ag/ZnO thin films on both sides of a polyacrylate elastomeric membrane (3M VHB 4910) makes an electrically tunable window device. The DEA without radial compression of the elastomer has wrinkle-free electrode. Hence, it is clear with a 47% in-line transmittance (for 550nm wavelength light). In the wrinkled form, under 10% radial compression, it becomes opaque (with less than 1% transmittance). A voltage induced areal expansion of 10% radial strain enables the electrical unfolding of the initial wrinkles. In addition, this device continues to work after 4000 cycles of unfolding and microwrinkling of Ag/ZnO. The performance of electrically tunable window device is comparable to the existing smart window technologies.
Optical transparency of an indium-tin-oxide (ITO) thin film depends on its topography. Wrinkling of ITO thin film can reduce normal transmittance or visibility by scattering the incident light away. In this paper, we study topography change of ITO thin film and its effect on normal transmittance of light. Coating of ITO thin film on adhesive poly-acrylate elastomer forms wrinkles and folds when subjected to mechanical compression and surface buckling. At excessive compression, such as 25% equi-biaxial, folds of the ITO thin film are so deep and convoluted like crumpling of a piece of paper. This crumpled form of ITO thin film can well obscure the light passing even though a flat ITO thin film is transparent. Surprisingly, the crumpled ITO thin film remains continuous and conductive even with 25% equi-biaxial compression despite the fact that ITO is known to be brittle. These crumpled ITO thin films were subsequently used to make compliant electrodes for Dielectric elastomer actuator (DEA). These crumpled ITO thin film can be reversibly unfolded through the DEA’s areal expansion. This DEA with 14.2% equi-biaxially crumpled ITO thin films can produce 37% areal expansion and demonstrate an optical transmittance change from 39.14% to 52.08% at 550nm wavelength.
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