Manufacturing and characterizing of CCTO/SEBS dielectric elastomer as capacitive strain sensors

Abstract

Calcium copper titanate (CCTO)/polystyrene–polyethylene–polybutylene–polystyrene (SEBS) dielectric elastomers were prepared via blending method. A capacitive strain sensor using CCTO/SEBS as dielectric layer and polyaniline–dodecylbenzensulfonic acid (PANI–DBSA)/SEBS as electrodes was designed and manufactured by thermoforming process. X-ray diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Raman spectra analyses were carried out; no impurities were found in the composite and CCTO particles were well dispersed. The dielectric tests showed that the samples filled with 20 wt% CCTO have their permittivity improved by 70%. The capacitive strain sensors have a stabilized capacitance variety range at different strain ranges or stretch speeds, and could remain synchronized after 500-time-stretching, showing high reproducibility.