Adaptively reconstructing network of soft elastomers to increase strand rigidity: towards free-standing electro-actuation strain over 100%. Issue 10 (6th September 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Chen, Zheqi; Ma, Zipeng; Tang, Jiali; Xiao, Youhua; Mao, Jie; Cai, Yiting; Zhao, Junjie; Gao, Xiang; Li, Tiefeng; Luo, Yingwu
• Is Part Of: Materials horizons. Volume 8:Issue 10(2021)
• Page Start: 2834
• Page End: 2841
• Publication Date: 2021-09-06
• Subjects: Materials -- Research -- Periodicals; 543.0284
• DOI: 10.1039/d1mh01020d
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2051-6347

Abstract

Abstract : A thermomechanical training method is reported to increase the network strand rigidity of triblock copolymer elastomers, leading to significantly enhanced electro-actuation performance. Abstract : Soft biological tissues and muscles composed of semiflexible networks exhibit rapid strain-hardening behaviors to protect them from accidental rupture. In contrast, synthetic soft elastomers, usually featuring flexible networks, lack such behaviors, leading to a notorious issue when applying them to a promising artificial muscle technology (dielectric elastomer, DE), that is electromechanical instability (EMI) induced premature breakdown. We report that a facile thermomechanical training method can adaptively reconstruct the network of a soft triblock copolymer elastomer to transform its flexible network strands into semiflexible ones without extra chemical modifications and additives so that the electro-actuation performance is significantly enhanced by avoiding EMI. The free-standing actuators of trained elastomers exhibit a large stable electro-actuation strain and a high theoretical energy density (133%, 307 kJ m −3 at 158.1 V μm −1 ), and the capacity of actuating at low-temperature environments (−15 °C).