Novel insights into the electromechanical failure of dielectric elastomers are presented. Measurements are conducted by coupling a high-speed camera to electrical breakdown strength equipment. It is shown that the breakdown behavior is far from simple since the thin elastomer film undergoes complex dimensional changes before the breakdown. Multiple geometries of the electrodes were investigated and different behaviors were observed. The breakdown patterns were categorized and the underlying theory behind this complex process will be presented.
Soft, stretchable and light-weight transducers are most sought after for research on advanced applications like stretchable electronics, soft robotics and energy harvesters. Stretchable electronics require elastomers that have high elongation at break, high dielectric permittivity and high breakdown strength. Commercial silicone elastomer formulations often do not encompass all the necessary properties required to function effectively as stretchable transducers but they are used out of familiarity. In this study, most commonly used commercial silicone formulations are formulated with different stoichiometry and also blends of these formulations are made in order to manipulate their resulting properties. The properties of these blends like ultimate stress and strain, Young’s modulus, dielectric permittivity and breakdown strength are investigated and mapped to identify those that have the best suited properties for fabricating soft stretchable devices. On a research level, Sylgard 184, Sylgard 186, Ecoflex 00-50, Ecoflex 00-30 and Ecoflex 00-10 are widely used for fabricating such soft devices and hence they will be worked upon in this study. The elastomers obtained using the methods of mixing illustrated here can act as a starting point for conceptualizing the feasibility of a product on research level.
Access to the requested content is limited to institutions that have purchased or subscribe to SPIE eBooks.
You are receiving this notice because your organization may not have SPIE eBooks access.*
*Shibboleth/Open Athens users─please
sign in
to access your institution's subscriptions.
To obtain this item, you may purchase the complete book in print or electronic format on
SPIE.org.
INSTITUTIONAL Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.
PERSONAL Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.