Abstract
Integrating nano- to micro-sized dielectric fillers to elastomer matrices to form dielectric composites is one of the commonly utilized methods to improve the performance of dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs). Barium titanate (BaTiO3) is among the widely used ferroelectric fillers for this purpose; however, calcium copper titanate CaCu3Ti4O12 (CCTO) has the potential to outperform such conventional fillers. Despite their promising performance, CCTO-based dielectric composites for DEA application are studied to a relatively lower degree. Particularly, the composites are characterized for a comparably small particle loading range, while critical DEA properties such as breakdown strength and nonlinear elasticity are barely addressed in the literature. Thus, in this study, CCTO was paired with polydimethylsiloxane (CH3)3SiO[Si(CH3)2O]nSi(CH3)3 (PDMS), Sylgard 184, to gain a comprehensive understanding of the effects of particle loading and size on the dielectric composite properties important for DEA applications. The dielectric composites’ performance was described through the figures of merit (FOMs) that consider materials’ Young’s modulus, dielectric permittivity, and breakdown strength. The optimum amounts of the ferroelectric filler were determined through the FOMs to maximize composite DEA performance. Lastly, electromechanical testing of the pre-stretched CCTO-composite DEA validated the improved performance over the plain elastomer DEA, with deviations from prediction attributed to the studied composites’ nonlinearity.
Highlights
Accepted: 17 June 2021Owing to their outstanding electromechanical characteristics, dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) have become one of the most intensively studied and developed electroactive polymers (EAP) [1]
A common DEA can be described as a parallel plate capacitor with compliant electrodes and a soft dielectric elastomer in between
The figure of merit (FOM) assumes the elastomer to be linearly elastic with dielectric properties independent of strain to ease DEA
Summary
Accepted: 17 June 2021Owing to their outstanding electromechanical characteristics, dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) have become one of the most intensively studied and developed electroactive polymers (EAP) [1]. A common DEA can be described as a parallel plate capacitor with compliant electrodes and a soft dielectric elastomer in between. When voltage is applied to the electrodes, the pressure generated by electrostatic attraction compresses the elastomer through the out-of-plane direction and expands the entire actuator in the in-plane direction. To estimate the performance of DEA, a commonly accepted figure of merit (FOM) is used [2], 3ε r ε 0 EB2 FOM = (1). The FOM assumes the elastomer to be linearly elastic with dielectric properties independent of strain to ease DEA performance estimation. As per Equation (1), the FOM entirely depends on DEA elastomer material properties, with acrylic and silicone elastomers being the most widely used to achieve high actuation performance. While acrylic DEAs usually provide larger actuation deformation
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