Engineering Electroactive Dielectric Elastomers for Miniature Electromechanical Transducers

Abstract

ABSTRACTElectroactive dielectric elastomers exhibit enormous promise for a variety of miniature transducers due to their unique mechanical and electromechanical characteristics (i.e., high strain and energy density, fast response speed, and inherent environmental tolerance). Currently, the challenge for dielectric elastomer-based actuation is to reduce their driving voltage for achieving high actuation strain. To this end, the most optimal method is to develop high dielectric constant elastomers and process them as thin layers. In this review, we summarize recent progress on fabrication of high-performance miniature transducers via engineering electroactive dielectric elastomers. According to materials engineering requirement, solid cases have been extracted from literature to discuss two essential aspects of constructing the miniature transducers; first, dielectric polymer materials and optimization for fast response and large deformation by low applied voltage; and second, miniaturization of electrode and dielectric elastomer devices. The elastomers with high strain sensitivity are highlighted for emerging applications in the field of microfluidics, miniature optics, biological chips, and microsensors. This literature review intrigues those researchers with materials science and engineering backgrounds who wish to enrich their study on microelectromechanical systems (MEMs) as well as spur inspirations in the field of polymer applications.