Dielectric elastomer transducers (DETs) are known for their large strains, low mass and high compliance, making them very attractive for a broad range of applications, from soft robotics to tuneable optics, or energy harvesting. However, 15 years after the first major paper in the field, commercial applications of the technology are still scarce, owing to high driving voltages, short lifetimes,...

A conductive polymer film containing pristine graphene was prepared by designing a polysiloxane-based stabilizer for graphene. The stabilizer was prepared by grafting 1-ethynylpyrene to the backbone of a poly(dimethylsiloxane)-co-(methylhydrosiloxane) (PDMS-PHMS) random copolymer by Pt-catalyzed hydrosilylation with a SiH-ethynyl ratio of 1.0 : 1.3. The resulting copolymer was able to stabilize...

The emergence of soft electronics has led to the need for thermal management with deformable material. Recent efforts have focused on incorporating EGaIn microparticles (?101 µm) into elastomer forming a conductive composites. However, shape deformation and coalescence particles under mechanical stress often lead parasitic electrical conduction, imposing limitations its utilization in managemen...

This paper presents the results of a series of experiments designed to measure the suitability of selected dielectric elastomers as artificial muscle actuators. The paper aims to differentiate between three widely used dielectric elastomers, 3M VHB-4910, BJB Enterprises TC-5005 and NuSil Technology’s CF19-2186. The materials are compared in terms of their ease of manufacture, strain, electrical...

Dielectric elastomers represent today excellent materials for the realisation of electric field driven polymer actuators capable of high performances. A new kind of actuator made of dielectric elastomers, able to show in principle electrically activated linear contractions, is here theoretically described. The device consists of an elastomeric hollow cylinder, having two helical electrodes inte...

Dense rubbery networks are highly entangled polymer systems, with significant topological restrictions for the mobility of neighbouring chains and crosslinks preventing the reptation constraint release. In a mean field approach, entanglements are treated within the famous reptation approach, since they effectively confine each individual chain in a tube-like geometry. We apply the classical ide...

In liquid-crystalline elastomers, the nematic order parameter and the induced strain vary smoothly across the isotropic-nematic transition, without the expected first-order discontinuity. To investigate this smooth variation, we measure the strain as a function of temperature over a range of applied stress, for elastomers cross-linked in the nematic and isotropic phases, and analyze the results...

background and aims. several products have been marketed for disinfecting impression materials. the present study evaluated the effect of deconex, micro 10, alprocid and unisepta plus sprays on staphylococcus aureus and candida albicans transferred to alginate and polyvinylsiloxane impression materials. materials and methods. a total of 180 impressions of a maxillary model (90 alginate and 90 p...