Enhancing the performance of dielectric elastomer actuators through the approach of distributed electrode array with fractal interconnects architecture

Abstract

Abstract Dielectric elastomer actuators fabricated from thin and miniaturized metal electrodes integrated with highly soft and stretchable elastomers offer the promise of opening new possibilities in the field of microrobotics. To achieve large displacements O(10−4) m at actuation voltages O(103) V in actuators with thin metal electrodes, the approach of distributed electrode array with fractal interconnects is proposed, where a single large electrode is replaced with an array of N small individual electrodes physically linked together with fractal interconnects. To investigate the effect of distributed electrode array with fractal interconnects on the static and dynamic response of the actuators, elastomer actuators with different electrode arrays—comprised of N ∈ {1,5,13,25} individual electrodes in the shape of circles—are fabricated and characterized. This study shows that the approach of distributed electrode array with fractal interconnects results in achieving large actuator displacements O(10−4) m at high speeds O(100) mm s−1, making these actuators suitable for driving microrobots.