Effects of plasticization of a soft silicone for dielectric elastomer actuation
Effects of plasticization of a soft silicone for dielectric elastomer actuation
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DOI：
10.1088/0964-1726/22/10/104020
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发表时间：
2013-10-01
影响因子：
4.1
通讯作者：
Gallone, Giuseppe
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Galantini, Fabia;Carpi, Federico;Gallone, Giuseppe
介电弹性体（DE）致动器利用绝缘橡胶材料的电致变形，将电能转化为机械功。为了实现大变形，最近的研究表明，使用弹性体可以抑制拉入机电不稳定，或者在不稳定的边缘驱动执行器，同时仍能防止不稳定。当这些策略不适用时，软化材料仍然是机械方法的选择，以便在相对较低的电场下实现大的变形。由于降低弹性体弹性模量的最常见方法是使用增塑剂，因此了解增塑剂对弹性体其他性能的影响也很重要，特别是对执行器设计者而言。为了获得这方面的见解，本文提出了广泛的化学物理，电介质，机械和机电特性，对于不同数量的增塑剂，展示了DE驱动（弹性模量为100千帕）的最柔软的商业有机硅之一。结果显示了增塑剂的不同添加量的相互作用，阐明了关键特征，从而可以作为特定需求执行器设计的指导。
Dielectric elastomer (DE) actuators exploit electrically induced deformations of insulating rubbery materials, as a means to transduce electrical energy into mechanical work. To enable large deformations, recent studies have demonstrated the advantage of either using elastomers that suppress pull-in electromechanical instability or driving the actuator at the verge of instability while still preventing it. Whenever these strategies are not applicable, softening the material remains the mechanical approach of choice to enable large deformations at relatively low electric fields. As the most common approach to lower the elastic modulus of an elastomer is the use of plasticizers, understanding their effects also on other properties of the elastomer is important, especially to actuator designers. Aimed at gaining insights in this respect, this paper presents an extensive chemical-physical, dielectric, mechanical and electromechanical characterization, for different amounts of a plasticizer, of one of the softest commercial silicones demonstrated for DE actuation (elastic modulus of the order of 100 kPa). The results showed the interplaying effects of a variable addition of the plasticizer, elucidating key features that could thus serve as a guide to the design of actuators for specific needs.