Fabrication and characterization of thin film-based multilayered dielectric elastomer stack transducers via submodules

Abstract

Transducers based on dielectric elastomers (DEs) consist of a polymer as dielectric between two compliant electrodes and can convert electrical into mechanical energy and vice versa. The geometry significantly determines the performance of DEs, which is mainly reflected by the static and dynamic behavior of pressure and strain. The goal of multilayered dielectric elastomer stack-transducers (DETs) is to maximize the force while maintaining a reasonable deflection. To scale the voltage down to 1 kV the thickness of the elastomeric film must be reduced. For this purpose, a roll-to-sheet lamination process has been adopted by modifying an existing process in order to use elastomeric films with a thickness of 20 µ m, applied with electric field strength up to 50 V/ µ m. In a first step, 10 films are laminated in a semi-automated process resulting in submodules. Fully functional submodules are stacked to form a multilayered stack-transducer up to hundreds of thin films. The production process can be divided into 5 partial processes which are described in detail. The goal of each manufacturing step as well as challenges are presented. With this outline, the outcome of the mentioned manufacturing approach of thin film-based multilayered DE stack-transducers is investigated. The roll-to-sheet lamination approach to produce DETs via submodules provides a good basis for further research in this field.