Soft Elastomer Research Articles

Effect of Indentation Depth on Friction Coefficient in Adhesive Contacts: Experiment and Simulation.

The quasi-static regime of friction between a rigid steel indenter and a soft elastomer with high adhesion is studied experimentally. An analysis of the formally calculated dependencies of a friction coefficient on an external load (normal force) shows that the friction coefficient monotonically decreases with an increase in the load, following a power law relationship. Over the entire range of contact loads, a friction mode is realized in which constant shear stresses are maintained in the tangential contact, which corresponds to the "adhesive" friction mode. In this mode, Amonton's law is inapplicable, and the friction coefficient loses its original meaning. Some classical works, which show the existence of a transition between "adhesive" and "normal" friction, were analyzed. It is shown that, in fact, there is no such transition. A computer simulation of the indentation process was carried out within the framework of the boundary element method, which confirmed the experimental results.

Pair of Functional Polyesters That Are Photo-Cross-Linkable and Electrospinnable to Engineer Elastomeric Scaffolds with Tunable Structure and Properties.

A pair of alkyne- and thiol-functionalized polyesters are designed to engineer elastomeric scaffolds with a wide range of tunable material properties (e.g., thermal, degradation, and mechanical properties) for different tissues, given their different host responses, mechanics, and regenerative capacities. The two prepolymers are quickly photo-cross-linkable through thiol-yne click chemistry to form robust elastomers with small permanent deformations. The elastic moduli can be easily tuned between 0.96 ± 0.18 and 7.5 ± 2.0 MPa, and in vitro degradation is mediated from hours up to days by adjusting the prepolymer weight ratios. These elastomers bear free hydroxyl and thiol groups with a water contact angle of less than 85.6 ± 3.58 degrees, indicating a hydrophilic nature. The elastomer is compatible with NIH/3T3 fibroblast cells with cell viability reaching 88 ± 8.7% relative to the TCPS control at 48 h incubation. Differing from prior soft elastomers, a mixture of the two prepolymers without a carrying polymer is electrospinnable and UV-cross-linkable to fabricate elastic fibrous scaffolds for soft tissues. The designed prepolymer pair can thus ease the fabrication of elastic fibrous conduits, leading to potential use as a resorbable synthetic graft. The elastomers could find use in other tissue engineering applications as well.

3D Printable Modular Soft Elastomers from Physically Cross-linked Homogeneous Associative Polymers.

Three-dimensional (3D) printing of elastomers enables the fabrication of many technologically important structures and devices. However, there remains a critical need for the development of reprocessable, solvent-free, soft elastomers that can be printed without the need for post-treatment. Herein, we report modular soft elastomers suitable for direct ink writing (DIW) printing by physically cross-linking associative polymers with a high fraction of reversible bonds. We designed and synthesized linear-associative-linear (LAL) triblock copolymers; the middle block is an associative polymer carrying amide groups that form double hydrogen bonding, and the end blocks aggregate to hard glassy domains that effectively act as physical cross-links. The amide groups do not aggregate to nanoscale clusters and only slow down polymer dynamics without changing the shape of the linear viscoelastic spectra; this enables molecular control over energy dissipation by varying the fraction of the associative groups. Increasing the volume fraction of the end linear blocks increases the network stiffness by more than 100 times without significantly compromising the extensibility. We created elastomers with Young's moduli ranging from 8 kPa to 8 MPa while maintaining the tensile breaking strain around 150%. Using a high-temperature DIW printing platform, we transformed our elastomers to complex, highly deformable 3D structures without involving any solvent or post-print processing. Our elastomers represent the softest melt reprocessable materials for DIW printing. The developed LAL polymers synergize emerging homogeneous associative polymers with a high fraction of reversible bonds and classical block copolymer self-assembly to form a dual-cross-linked network, providing a versatile platform for the modular design and development of soft melt reprocessable elastomeric materials for practical applications.

Empowering soft conductive elastomers with self-reinforcement and remarkable resilience via phase-locking ions.

Endowing soft and long-range stretchable elastomers with exceptional strength, resilience, and ion-conductivity is crucial for high-performance flexible sensors. However, achieving this entails significant challenges due to intrinsic yet mutually exclusive structural factors. In this work, a series of self-reinforcing ion-conductive elastomers (SRICEs) is thus designed to meet the advanced but challenging requirements. The SRICEs behave like a soft/hard dual-phase separated micro-structure, which is optimized through a straightforward preferential assembly strategy (PAS) to ensure that the subsequently introduced ions are locked in the soft phase. Meanwhile, the interaction between ions and soft segments is meticulously tailored to achieve self-reinforcement through strain-induced crystallization. Consequently, an outstanding ultimate strength of approximately ∼51.0 MPa and an exceptional instant resilient efficiency of ∼92.9% are attained. To the best knowledge of the authors, these are the record-high values achieved simultaneously in one ion-conductive elastomer. Furthermore, the resultant toughness of ∼202.4 MJ m-3 is significantly higher, while the modulus of ∼5.0 MPa is lower than that of most reported robust ion-conductive elastomers. This unique combination of properties makes it suitable for advanced flexible applications, e.g. grid-free position recognition sensors. This work provides guidance for designing soft yet robust ion-conductive elastomers and optimizing their mechanical properties.

Smart electro-magneto-viscoelastomer minimum energy structures with particle-reinforcements: Theoretical equilibrium and nonlinear dynamics of actuated configurations

Soft transduction technology is rapidly adopting soft active elastomer-based minimum energy structures because of their distinctive programmable shape-morphing characteristics. For effective device design, an understanding of the nonlinear dynamic behavior is crucial as they often experience time-dependent motion while operating. Moreover, there has been an increasing scientific interest in enhancing the actuation performance of soft active elastomers by imparting particle reinforcements. This article provides a theoretical framework for investigating the nonlinear dynamics of smart composite elastomer-based minimum energy structures (SCEMES) with the provision of non-aligned electric and magnetic fields, leading to an actively programmable pre-stretch paradigm. Unlike conventional actuators, the proposed SCEMES is made up of a polymer that has electro-magnetic properties and is filled with appropriate fillers with specific volume fractions. An electromagneto-viscoelastic model is developed here to predict actuator behavior and investigate the effects of particle reinforcement on equilibrium and actuated configurations. Besides strengthening the polymer, particle reinforcement is observed to enhance the equilibrium angle achieved by the structure with enhanced functionality. The proposed nonlinear dynamic model is extended to investigate a number of critically influential parameters, including shear modulus ratio of fiber to matrix, frame bending stiffness, membrane pre-stretching, and electro-magnetic loading with time-dependent DC and AC modes of actuation. The results reveal that the combined electro-magnetic actuation enhances the actuation range significantly. The attained tip angle of the actuator increases appreciably when the magnetic and electric fields are applied mutually perpendicular to each other, indicating that the direction of applied magnetic field governs the attained actuated configuration. Further, particle reinforcement enrichments result in a depletion in oscillation amplitudes and an increase in excitation frequencies under the AC actuation mode. The efficient semi-analytical framework presented here would be crucial in developing new actuators, smart devices and soft robots for a variety of advanced engineering and medical applications.

Electro-mechanical actuation modulates fracture performance of soft dielectric elastomers

Soft dielectric elastomers respond to electric stimuli by undergoing large deformations and changes in their material properties. The actuation with deformable electrodes attached to the material originates Coulomb and dipole forces that convert the electric field into a mechanical response. Applications at large deformations can entail crack onset and propagation. Within this context, the response of a soft polymer to an applied electric field may serve to influence the fracture behavior of such materials, potentially enhancing it. Here we explore the fracture performance of an ultra-soft dielectric elastomer. To do so, we conduct tensile tests while applying electrical actuation on samples with pre-cuts. Additionally, we examine the elastomer filled with piezoelectric BaTiO3 particles to ameliorate the fracture performance beyond the limits observed in the unfilled material. In conjunction with the experiments, we employ a bespoke fracture phase-field model to analyze the stress triaxiality near the crack tip. The results indicate that the electric actuation induces beneficial crack tip blunting and stress de-concentration, enhancing the fracture toughness up to a 125% and delaying crack propagation. Our work provides a route for applications of soft dielectric elastomers that require improved fracture properties or, more broadly, the modulation of fracture behavior.

Modelling the dynamic magnetic actuation of isotropic soft magnetorheological elastomers

Soft magnetorheological elastomers (s-MRE) are a kind of smart material with soft magnetic particles embedded in an elastomer matrix. Under a magnetic field, there is pronounced magnetostriction and magnetically controllable mechanical properties for s-MRE, offering broad application prospects in soft robotics, surface pattern control and vibration control. While most existing literature on s-MRE focuses on the quasi-static behaviour, neglecting inertia effect, the dynamic behaviour and potential nonlinear oscillation phenomenon in certain scenarios of s-MRE-based actuators remain underexplored. In order to addressing this gap, a novel dynamic model which incorporates the magnetization, nonlinear viscoelasticity and inertia effects of isotropic s-MRE is proposed to explore the interplay among magnetic field, inertia and viscoelasticity on its dynamic behaviour. After developing the corresponding two-dimensional finite element implementation platform, this study examines the magnetic-induced dynamic behaviour of an isotropic s-MRE-based bilayer beam through numerical simulation. The influence of inertia and viscoelasticity on the magnetic-induced deformation as well as the unique nonlinear vibration characteristics of isotropic s-MRE-based system, such as superharmonic and resonance jump, are explored. Furthermore, to further enhance practical applications, novel magnetic field control algorithms aimed at mitigating harmonic distortion and tuning the vibration frequency of isotropic s-MRE-based magnetic actuation systems are introduced. These findings significantly advance the understanding the dynamic behaviour of s-MRE, paving the way for practical applications of s-MRE in magnetic field-driven loudspeakers and active noise control devices.

Hyperelastic constitutive relations for soft elastomers with thermally-induced residual stress

Residual stress widely exists in soft materials. Besides growth, inhomogeneous thermal expansion is also a primary cause of residual stress. However, establishing a proper hyperelastic constitutive relation is a great challenge since the existing theories cannot capture the change of underlying mechanical responses triggered by temperature variations. In this paper, a general hyperelastic constitutive relation for soft elastomers with thermally-induced residual stress is developed. We first reveal the initial temperature dependence of conventional thermoelastic models. This property attributes the alteration of the underlying thermoelastic response to free thermal expansions. Then, a compatibility-broken curvature compensation (CBCC) framework is established based on finite thermoelasticity. It generates a free thermal expansion to eliminate the Riemannian curvatures of the virtual stress-free configuration derived from the isothermal stress release. Such a mechanism indicates the non-local effect of the residual stress, which fundamentally modifies the traditional view that invariant formulations cover all the possible functional dependence of residual stress. Also, the obtained governing equations are similar to Einstein field equations of the general theory of relativity. This similarity may deeply imply a standard mechanism concerning the curvature compensation leading to residual stress genesis. We finally conduct comparative analyses of the spherically symmetric and axisymmetric problems between the current constitutive relation and the existing models. The influences of adopting distinct residual stresses, the performance of the non-local effect, and the availability of the new constitutive relation are investigated in detail. This framework can shed some light on the constitutive modeling of soft materials.

High-Throughput Manufacturing of Multimodal Epidermal Mechanosensors with Superior Detectability Enabled by a Continuous Microcracking Strategy.

Non-invasive human-machine interactions (HMIs) are expected to be promoted by epidermal tactile receptive devices that can accurately perceive human activities. In reality, however, the HMI efficiency is limited by the unsatisfactory perception capability of mechanosensors and the complicated techniques for device fabrication and integration. Herein, a paradigm is presented for high-throughput fabrication of multimodal epidermal mechanosensors based on a sequential "femtosecond laser patterning-elastomer infiltration-physical transfer" process. The resilient mechanosensor features a unique hybrid sensing layer of rigid cellular graphitic flakes (CGF)-soft elastomer. The continuous microcracking of CGF under strain enables a sharp reduction in conductive pathways, while the soft elastomer within the framework sustains mechanical robustness of the structure. As a result, the mechanosensor achieves an ultrahigh sensitivity in a broad strain range (GF of 371.4 in the first linear range of 0-50%, and maximum GF of 8922.6 in the range of 61-70%), a low detection limit (0.01%), and a fast response/recovery behavior (2.6/2.1ms). The device also exhibits excellent sensing performances to multimodal mechanical stimuli, enabling high-fidelity monitoring of full-range human motions. As proof-of-concept demonstrations, multi-pixel mechanosensor arrays are constructed and implemented in a robot hand controlling system and a security system, providing a platform toward efficient HMIs.

A theoretical model to determine solid surface tension through droplet on film configuration and experimental verification

Determination of the surface tension of solids has been a challenging issue. This work presents an approach to the issue based on the configuration of a droplet spreading on a free standing film. Firstly, a theoretical model for the equilibrium configuration of a droplet spreading on a film is developed, which reveals that the surface elasticity has little contribution to the equilibrium configuration, and the effective strain of the film is determined by the bulge angle analytically. Based on these observations, a new procedure is presented to measure the surface tension of the film through droplet loading, which is realized by extrapolating the film tension as a function of the product of the film thickness and the effective strain. Finally, as a validation, we use this approach to extract the surface tension of soft elastomers. This work provides a viable and robust approach to determination of the surface tension of solids.

Modeling multi-contact point physical interaction between the anthropomorphic finger and soft robotic exo-digit for wearable rehabilitation robotics applications.

Introduction: Effective control of rehabilitation robots requires considering the distributed and multi-contact point physical human-robot interaction and users' biomechanical variation. This paper presents a quasi-static model for the motion of a soft robotic exo-digit while physically interacting with an anthropomorphic finger model for physical therapy. Methods: Quasi-static analytical models were developed for modeling the motion of the soft robot, the anthropomorphic finger, and their coupled physical interaction. An intertwining of kinematics and quasi-static motion was studied to model the distributed (multiple contact points) interaction between the robot and a human finger model. The anthropomorphic finger was modeled as an articulated multi-rigid body structure with multi-contact point interaction. The soft robot was modeled as an articulated hybrid soft-and-rigid model with a constant bending curvature and a constant length for each soft segment. A hyperelastic constitute model based on Yeoh's 3rdorder material model was used for modeling the soft elastomer. The developed models were experimentally evaluated for 1) free motion of individual soft actuators and 2) constrained motion of the soft robotic exo-digit and anthropomorphic finger model. Results and Discussion: Simulation and experimental results were compared for performance evaluations. The theoretical and experimental results were in agreement for free motion, and the deviation from the constrained motion was in the range of the experimental errors. The outcomes also provided an insight into the importance of considering lengthening for the soft actuators.

Anisotropy behavior of liquid metal elastomer composites with both enhanced thermal conductivity and crack resistance by direct ink writing

Liquid metal elastomer composites (LMEC) have broad application prospects in flexible devices, but the research on the basic processes of DIW for LMEC and the properties of DIW-ed LMEC is lacking. In this study, liquid metal (LM) is added to silicone elastomers such as Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), and the effect of LM volume fraction on ink rheology is investigated. Results show that the storage modulus of ink is lower than its loss modulus, which is not conducive to self-support formation. Therefore, fluorination is adopted to treat the silicon dioxide substrate used, thereby reducing the deformation rate of the printed structure to below 110 %. The results of properties show that the crack resistance and thermal conductivity of soft elastomers increase with the LM volume fraction. Additionally, the tensile properties of PDMS printed via DIW exhibit significant anisotropy parallel and perpendicular to the scanning direction, and that the addition of LM droplets reduces the anisotropy. And with the increase of curing temperature and LM droplet size, the stretchability of DIW-ed LMEC in both directions decreases, but only LMEC samples cured at 140 °C exhibit significant anisotropy. This study provides guidance pertaining to the basic process and printing directions for the application of DIW in the manufacture of LMEC equipment.

Magnetic training of the soft magnetorheological elastomers

The effect of repetitive quasi-static magnetisation of a magnetorheological elastomer on its magnetic response is discussed. Typical components of this material, namely soft silicone rubber and carbonyl iron powder, are used to produce magnetically sensitive composite samples. The composite specimens are examined by vibrating sample magnetometry. The influence of the elasticity of the composite matrix on the change in magnetic differential susceptibility of the material as a function of the number of repeated magnetisation cycles is evaluated. The soft matrix elastomers are characterised by the presence of maxima in the initial part of the differential susceptibility curves. The sample magnetisation values corresponding to such maxima vary with the number of magnetisation cycles. In addition, the initial magnetic susceptibility curves of soft samples obtained at different polarity of the applied field are not symmetrical. Symmetry is obtained by performing several subsequent magnetisation cycles. The differential susceptibility curves are affected by both reversible and irreversible processes related to particle mobility in the matrix. The magnetic response of composite samples with rigid matrices is more similar to that of classical soft magnetic materials.

Nacre-like composites with a soft thermoplastic elastomer matrix

We produce nacre-like composites made of a soft thermoplastic elastomer matrix reinforced by alumina platelets, as a flexible and healable alternative to stiff brick-and-mortar materials while keeping their characteristic anisotropic microstructure. Materials are manufactured using step-wise deposition and subsequent controlled evaporation of a suspension containing the polymer and the platelets. Well-aligned microstructures loaded from 15 to 65 vol.% in alumina are obtained through hot-pressing densification of the resulting composites. Remarkably, by combining calorimetry and low-field nuclear magnetic resonance, we emphasize that the polymer mobility decreases significantly in spite of a lower degree of cristallinity when the platelet content is increased. This result sheds light on the origin of the limited quality of samples above 45 vol.%, opening new research directions to improve the design of organic nacre-like composites. Tensile, bending and indentation tests on samples containing up to 45 vol.% in platelets are then used to rationalize the mechanical properties variation related to the polymer state. Finally, we show that the addition of 3 vol.% of Fe nanoparticles into the composites is enough to enable their induction heating that we aim to utilize in the future as a contactless healing method.

Magnetically Actuated Surface Microstructures for Efficient Transport and Tunable Separation of Droplets and Solids

Efficient transportation of droplets (≈101–102 μL) and small solid objects (≈101–102 mm3) have important applications in many fields, such as microfluidics, lab‐on‐a‐chip devices, drug delivery, etc. A novel multifunctional surface consisting of a periodic array of micro‐lamellae from a soft magnetoactive elastomer on a plastic substrate is reported for these purposes. The physical origin of the propulsion is the bending of soft magnetic lamellae in nonuniform magnetic fields, which is also observed in uniform magnetic fields. The magnetoactive surface is fabricated using a facile and rapid method of laser ablation. The propulsion of items is realized using a four‐pole rotating magnet. This results in a cyclic lamellar fringe motion over the microstructured surface and brings an advantage of easy reciprocation of transport by rotation reversal. Two modes of object transportation are identified: “pushing” mode for precise control of droplet and solid positioning and “bouncing” mode for heavier solid objects transportation. A water droplet of 5 μL or a glass sphere with a 2.1 mm diameter can be moved at a maximum speed of 60 mm s−1. The multifunctionality of the proposed mechatronic platform is demonstrated on the examples of selective solid–liquid separation and droplet merging.

Indentation and Detachment in Adhesive Contacts between Soft Elastomer and Rigid Indenter at Simultaneous Motion in Normal and Tangential Direction: Experiments and Simulations.

In reported experiments, a steel indenter was pressed into a soft elastomer layer under varying inclination angles and subsequently was detached under various inclination angles too. The processes of indentation and detachment were recorded with a video camera, and the time dependences of the normal and tangential components of the contact force and the contact area, as well as the average contact pressure and average tangential stresses, were measured as functions of the inclination angle. Based on experimental results, a simple theoretical model of the indentation process is proposed, in which tangential and normal contacts are considered independently. Both experimental and theoretical results show that at small indentation angles (when the direction of motion is close to tangential), a mode with elastomer slippage relative to the indenter is observed, which leads to complex dynamic processes-the rearrangement of the contact boundary and the propagation of elastic waves (similar to Schallamach waves). If the angle is close to the normal angle, there is no slipping in the contact plane during the entire indentation (detachment) phase.

Bio-Based Vitrimeric Silicone Materials with High-Strength, Reprocessable, Healing, and Transparent Properties.

Developing reprocessable polymeric materials from earth-abundant elements and renewable biomass is attractive for dealing with fossil resource crisis and achieving sustainable development. Based on the unique reactivity of biomass-derived gluconolactone, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) terminated with glucosamide groups issynthesized and used for preparing a series of silicone boronic ester based vitrimers. The whole preparation process isquite straightforward without any purification required and highly efficient with water as the only byproduct. The mechanical properties of obtained vitrimers can be precisely controlled by adjusting the content of 1,4-benzenediboronic acid or the molecular weight of PDMS precursor, producing boronic ester based vitrimers ranging from soft elastomers to rigid plastics. The obtained vitrimers exhibit excellent thermal stability, robust reprocessability, and efficient healing capacity. By encapsulating green-emitting CsPbBr3 nanocrystals, these materials arefabricated into hydrophobic, transparent, and luminescent coatings, promising for applications in flexible optical devices.

Low-Field Actuating Magnetic Elastomer Membranes Characterized using Fibre-Optic Interferometry.

Smart robotic devices remotely powered by magnetic field have emerged as versatile tools for wide biomedical applications. Soft magnetic elastomer (ME) composite membranes with high flexibility and responsiveness are frequently incorporated to enable local actuation for wireless sensing or cargo delivery. However, the fabrication of thin ME membranes with good control in geometry and uniformity remains challenging, as well as the optimization of their actuating performances under low fields (milli-Tesla). In this work, the development of ME membranes comprising of low-cost magnetic powder and highly soft elastomer through a simple template-assisted doctor blading approach, is reported. The fabricated ME membranes are controllable in size (up to centimetre-scale), thickness (tens of microns) and high particle loading (up to 70 wt.%). Conflicting trade-off effects of particle concentration upon magnetic responsiveness and mechanical stiffness are investigated and found to be balanced off as it exceeds 60 wt.%. A highly sensitive fibre-optic interferometric sensing system and a customized fibre-ferrule-membrane probe are first proposed to enable dynamic actuation and real-time displacement characterization. Free-standing ME membranes are magnetically excited under low field down to 2 mT, and optically monitored with nanometer accuracy. The fast and consistent responses of ME membranes showcase their promising biomedical applications in nanoscale actuation andsensing.

Modelling the Mullins effect and the magnetic-dependent nonlinear viscoelasticity of isotropic soft magnetorheological elastomers

Soft magnetorheological elastomers (s-MRE) are a smart material mainly prepared by filling soft magnetic particles into an elastomeric matrix. Under the influence of a magnetic field, the mechanical properties of the material can be changed rapidly and reversibly, offering a broad application prospect in vibration control, magnetic actuation and other areas. Due to the embedding of the magnetic particles, an obvious stress-softening phenomenon (Mullins effect) and magnetic-dependent nonlinear viscoelasticity are exhibited for the s-MRE. Recent theoretical studies mainly focused on modelling the magnetostriction and the magnetic-dependent hyperelastic behaviour of s-MRE, while less attention is paid to modelling its magnetic-dependent inelastic behaviour. However, the stress-softening and the magnetic-dependent nonlinear viscoelastic behaviour play a vital role in the application of s-MRE. In order to predict the magneto-mechanical coupling behaviour of s-MRE accurately, a constitutive model which incorporates the Mullins effect and the magnetic-dependent nonlinear viscoelastic behaviour of isotropic s-MRE is proposed. The comparison between the simulation and experimental results indicates that the residual strain, magnetic-dependent Mullins effect and nonlinear viscoelastic behaviour of isotropic s-MRE are well depicted by the model. The developed model provides a theoretical basis for the design and application of isotropic s-MRE in vibration control, magnetic drive and other fields and promotes its potential application.

Characterization of Temperature and Humidity Dependence in Soft Elastomer Behavior.

Soft robots are predicted to operate well in unstructured environments due to their resilience to impacts, embodied intelligence, and potential ability to adapt to uncertain circumstances. Soft robots are of further interest for space and extraterrestrial missions, owing to their lightweight and compressible construction. Most soft robots in the literature to-date are made of elastomer bodies. However, limited data are available on the material characteristics of commonly used elastomers in extreme environments. In this study, we characterize four commonly used elastomers in the soft robotics literature-EcoFlex 00-30, Dragon Skin 10, Smooth-Sil 950, and Sylgard 184-in a temperature range of -40°C to 80°C and humidity range of 5-95% RH. We perform pull-to-failure, stiffness, and stress-relaxation tests. Furthermore, we perform a case study on soft elastomers used in stretchable capacitive sensors to evaluate the implications of the constituent material behavior on component performance. We find that all elastomers show temperature-dependent behavior, with typical stiffening of the material and a lower strain at failure with increasing temperature. The stress-relaxation response to temperature depends on the type of elastomer. Limited material effects are observed in response to different humidity conditions. The mechanical properties of the capacitive sensors are only dependent on temperature, but the measured capacitance shows changes related to both humidity and temperature changes, indicating that component-specific properties need to be considered in tandem with the mechanical design. This study provides essential insights into elastomer behavior for the design and successful operation of soft robots in varied environmental conditions.