Dielectric Elastomer Actuators with Low Driving Voltages and High Mechanical Outputs Enabled by a Scalable Ultra-Thin Film Multilayering Process

Dielectric elastomers (DEs) are widely studied and applied as an artificial muscle owing to their combined features of large actuation strain, fast response, high energy density, and low noise. However, scalable fabrication of dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) with low driving voltages (100 s of volts) and high mechanical outputs remains challenging, which significantly limits their wider applications. In this work, processable, high-performance dielectric elastomer (PHDE) ultra-thin film based multilayer DEAs (PUT-MDEAs) through an optimized dry-stacking process are fabricated. The obtained ten-layer PUT-MDEAs show actuation at 200 V and reach a maximum areal strain of approximate to 80% at 800 V. They deliver a blocked force of 0.1 N and an energy density of 22 J kg-1 at 200 V and achieve a blocked force of 0.7 N and an energy density of 50 J kg-1 at 700 V. In addition, large-area PUT-MDEAs are fabricated using the scalable dry-stacking method, and adopted to build low-driving-voltage soft pumps and robotic fish, showing their potential for practical applications. Processable, high-performance dielectric elastomer (PHDE) ultra-thin films based multilayer dielectric elastomer actuators (PUT-MDEAs) are developed by dry-stacking 10 mu m elastomer thin films. Ten-layer PUT-MDEAs deliver blocked forces up to 0.7 N and energy densities up to 50 J kg-1 under driving voltages of 100 s of volts. Large-area PUT-MDEAs are fabricated to build low-driving-voltage soft pumps and robotic fish for practical applications. image