2024 | Zhaoqing Kang, Liyun Yu, Yi Nie, Magdalena Skowrya, Suojiang Zhang, and Anne Ladegaard Skov
This study presents a novel dielectric elastomer fiber actuator that can be produced by the meter, offering significant advantages over traditional soft actuators. The fiber is fabricated using a continuous wet spinning process of two commercially available polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) polymers, resulting in fibers with diameters ranging from 174 to 439 μm and wall thicknesses from 62 to 108 μm. The fibers are then transformed into actuators by injecting an ionic liquid as the inner electrode and dipping in an ionogel to form the outer electrode. The resulting actuators can achieve actuation strains of up to 10% in both dry and wet environments, with excellent mechanical properties and stability over repeated cycles. The fiber actuator can be bundled to mimic human skeletal muscle bundles or used in folded configurations, making it ideal for macroscopic actuators in various applications such as body-compliant actuators and wearables.
The fiber actuator is fabricated using a simple process that avoids the need for complex assembly, enabling the production of long, uniform fibers with consistent mechanical properties. The actuator's performance is enhanced by the use of ionic liquids and ionogels as electrodes, which provide minimal mechanical resistance and improve electro-mechanical properties. The fiber geometry allows for significant and reproducible strains without the need for pre-stretch, and the actuators can be used in both wet and dry environments. The fiber actuator can be configured in parallel or serial arrangements, enabling the creation of larger arrays or very long single fiber actuators for a wide range of applications.
The study demonstrates that the fiber actuator can lift 200 times its own weight with 10% actuation in both dry and wet environments, and it exhibits excellent electro-mechanical properties that remain stable over extended periods. The scalability and simplicity of the process, along with the versatility of the fiber actuator in both wet and dry environments, make it a promising technology for future soft actuator applications. The fiber actuator can be used as a modular building block for advanced actuators, offering unprecedented performance and stability compared to conventional dielectric elastomer films.This study presents a novel dielectric elastomer fiber actuator that can be produced by the meter, offering significant advantages over traditional soft actuators. The fiber is fabricated using a continuous wet spinning process of two commercially available polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) polymers, resulting in fibers with diameters ranging from 174 to 439 μm and wall thicknesses from 62 to 108 μm. The fibers are then transformed into actuators by injecting an ionic liquid as the inner electrode and dipping in an ionogel to form the outer electrode. The resulting actuators can achieve actuation strains of up to 10% in both dry and wet environments, with excellent mechanical properties and stability over repeated cycles. The fiber actuator can be bundled to mimic human skeletal muscle bundles or used in folded configurations, making it ideal for macroscopic actuators in various applications such as body-compliant actuators and wearables.
The fiber actuator is fabricated using a simple process that avoids the need for complex assembly, enabling the production of long, uniform fibers with consistent mechanical properties. The actuator's performance is enhanced by the use of ionic liquids and ionogels as electrodes, which provide minimal mechanical resistance and improve electro-mechanical properties. The fiber geometry allows for significant and reproducible strains without the need for pre-stretch, and the actuators can be used in both wet and dry environments. The fiber actuator can be configured in parallel or serial arrangements, enabling the creation of larger arrays or very long single fiber actuators for a wide range of applications.
The study demonstrates that the fiber actuator can lift 200 times its own weight with 10% actuation in both dry and wet environments, and it exhibits excellent electro-mechanical properties that remain stable over extended periods. The scalability and simplicity of the process, along with the versatility of the fiber actuator in both wet and dry environments, make it a promising technology for future soft actuator applications. The fiber actuator can be used as a modular building block for advanced actuators, offering unprecedented performance and stability compared to conventional dielectric elastomer films.