Cyclic performance of viscoelastic dielectric elastomers with solid hydrogel electrodes

• DOI: 10.1063/1.4865200
• Publication Date: 2014-02-11T01:43:05Z
• Authors: Yuanyuan Bai; Yanhui Jiang; Baohong Chen; Choon Chiang Foo; Yongcun Zhou; Feng Xiang; Jinxiong Zhou; Hong Wang; Zhigang Suo
• Keywords: Dielectric Elastomers; Electroactive polymers

Hydrogels containing electrolyte can work as ionic conductors to actuate dielectric elastomer (DE) artificial muscles. Based on a popular design of circular actuator, we study theoretically and experimentally the cyclic performance acrylic DE actuators with solid hydrogel electrodes. The viscoelasticity electrodes constrains maximum strain that is attainable for one cycle triangular voltage, it also diminishes accumulated increment after many cycles loadings.