Abstract
This paper introduces a fabrication method and the experimental characterization of a soft polymeric energy converter manufactured using a combination of dielectric and conductive polydimethylsiloxane elastomers. The presented system is an inflated circular diaphragm dielectric elastomer generator; i.e., a deformable electrostatic transducer that converts the mechanical work done by a time-varying pressure into electricity. A prototype of the system is realized on the basis of a simple fabrication procedure that makes use of commercially available silicone dielectric elastomer films and custom-prepared deformable conductive electrodes. A test-bench is developed and employed to estimate the energy conversion performance. Remarkable results are obtained, such as an amount of energy converted per cycle of up to 0.3 J, converted power of up to 0.15 W, energy per unit of employed elastomer mass of up to 173 J/kg, and fraction of the input mechanical work converted into electricity of 30%.
Highlights
Energy harvesting is a central application area for multifunctional materials
The presented system is an inflated circular diaphragm dielectric elastomer generator; i.e., a deformable electrostatic transducer that converts the mechanical work done by a time-varying pressure into electricity
They can be employed as generators (DEGs) to transform an input mechanical energy into electricity, or as actuators (DEAs) to produce forces and displacements regulated by electrical activation
Summary
Energy harvesting is a central application area for multifunctional materials. In the attempt to achieve low-cost direct-drive electricity generation from ambient sources of mechanical energy, different technologies have been investigated, which include piezoelectric [1], triboelectric [2], and electrostatic [3] generators. DETs are soft/deformable elastomeric capacitors comprising one or more layers of a dielectric elastomer (DE) film coated by compliant electrodes They can be employed as generators (DEGs) to transform an input mechanical energy into electricity, or as actuators (DEAs) to produce forces and displacements regulated by electrical activation. Compared to the actuation application, energy harvesting poses further requirements in terms of the material properties, such as the need for a very low electrical conductivity of the DE material, which has a tremendous impact on the generator efficiency. In this communication we report on the fabrication process and performance testing of a class of DEGs made entirely of PDMS elastomers.
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