Dielectric elastomers (DEs) can undergo very large spatial deformations in response to an externally applied electrical field, giving them significant potential as soft actuators. High-performance DEs are usually modified by high-permittivity additives, which are used to lower driving voltages. In this study, a novel high-permittivity soft additive (LMS-EIL) was developed via the combination of high-permittivity ionic liquid (IL) and chloropropyl-silicone, enabling good compatibility with the silicone matrix. The relative dielectric permittivity of the novel silicone oil additive was 9×104 times higher at 0.1Hz compared to pristine chloropropyl-silicone oil. High-permittivity silicone elastomers were then achieved via incorporation of this novel IL-grafted chloropropyl-silicone oil. The relative dielectric permittivity of elastomers modified with 10 parts per hundred rubber (phr) LMS-EIL increased from 3.0 (pure film) to 22 at 0.1Hz, while the Young’s modulus decreased steadily with increasing LMS-EIL concentration. A simplified figure of merit (Fom') was used to evaluate actuation performance, and was shown to be 8.1 for the elastomer incorporated with 10 phr LMS-EIL, indicating excellent potential for use as an actuator.
Dielectric elastomer (DE) sensors have great potential for applications in soft robotics, wearable devices and medical diagnostic. A novel pressure sensor with remarkably improved force sensing characteristics was obtained through combined usage of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and ionic liquid (IL). The regenerated keratin from wool was added and dispersed homogeneously in the PDMS matrix acting as reinforcing fillers. The influence of the amount of IL on the electro-mechanical properties of the composites was investigated. One obvious result was that the permittivity of the ILcontaining elastomers increased dramatically with the increased amount of IL loaded. Furthermore, the sensitivity of the composite elastomers as pressure sensors was investigated by recording the response of the voltage when a small force is applied to the top surface of the pressure sensor. The elastomers with IL loaded exhibit excellent response of the voltage and the maximum sensitivity of the composite elastomer is 2.64 mV/N.
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