The effects of additives on the actuating performances of a dielectric elastomer actuator

This paper presents a comprehensive study of the effects of additives on the performance of a dielectric elastomer actuator. Previously, a new dielectric elastomer material, called 'synthetic elastomer', was presented for the means of actuation, which permits changes in the mechanical as well as the electrical properties in order to meet the requirements of certain applications. This work studies how the electromechanical properties of the synthetic elastomer can be adjusted by combining two additives, namely dioctyl phthalate (DOP) and titanium dioxide (TiO2). Experiments are carried out and the effects of each additive are compared to one another based on the actuation performances.

[1]  R. Pelrine,et al.  Electrostriction of polymer dielectrics with compliant electrodes as a means of actuation , 1998 .

[2]  Ja Choon Koo,et al.  Fabrication and characterization of linear motion dielectric elastomer actuators , 2006, SPIE Smart Structures and Materials + Nondestructive Evaluation and Health Monitoring.

[3]  Q. Pei,et al.  Electroelastomer rolls and their application for biomimetic walking robots , 2003 .

[4]  A. R. Blythe,et al.  Electrical properties of polymers , 1979 .

[5]  B. Cheng,et al.  Controlled Growth and Properties of One‐Dimensional ZnO Nanostructures with Ce as Activator/Dopant , 2004 .

[6]  F. Xia,et al.  An all-organic composite actuator material with a high dielectric constant , 2002, Nature.

[7]  Hyoukryeol Choi,et al.  Multi-stacked artificial muscle actuator based on synthetic elastomer , 2007, 2007 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems.

[8]  J. Fothergill,et al.  Internal charge behaviour of nanocomposites , 2004 .

[9]  Q. Pei,et al.  High-speed electrically actuated elastomers with strain greater than 100% , 2000, Science.

[10]  D. Rossi,et al.  Improvement of electromechanical actuating performances of a silicone dielectric elastomer by dispersion of titanium dioxide powder , 2005, IEEE Transactions on Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation.

[11]  D. Rossi,et al.  Dielectric elastomers as electromechanical transducers: Fundamentals, Materials, Devices, Models and Applications of an Emerging Electroactive Polymer Technology , 2008 .

[12]  Qiming Zhang,et al.  Enhanced Dielectric and Electromechanical Responses in High Dielectric Constant All‐Polymer Percolative Composites , 2004 .

[13]  Yoseph Bar-Cohen,et al.  Electroactive Polymer (EAP) Actuators as Artificial Muscles: Reality, Potential, and Challenges, Second Edition , 2004 .

[14]  D. De Rossi,et al.  Folded dielectric elastomer actuators , 2007 .

[15]  Mikael Rigdahl,et al.  Stress relaxation behaviour of plasticized poly (vinyl chloride) , 1982 .

[16]  Jae Wook Jeon,et al.  Representation of a Conceptual Design for a Rectilinear Motion Polymer Actuator , 2007 .

[17]  D. Rossi,et al.  Dielectric constant enhancement in a silicone elastomer filled with lead magnesium niobate–lead titanate , 2007 .

[18]  Ja Choon Koo,et al.  Development of enhanced synthetic elastomer for energy-efficient polymer actuators , 2007 .

[19]  Rachel Z. Pytel,et al.  Artificial muscle technology: physical principles and naval prospects , 2004, IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering.

[20]  K. Tanie,et al.  Biomimetic soft actuator: design, modeling, control, and applications , 2005, IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics.

[21]  B. Shah,et al.  Effect of plasticizers on mechanical, electrical, permanence, and thermal properties of poly(vinyl chloride) , 2003 .

[22]  Joseph Kuruvilla,et al.  Mechanical properties of titanium dioxide-filled polystyrene microcomposites , 2004 .

[23]  S. Tadokoro,et al.  Electroactive Polymers for Robotic Applications , 2007 .