Study on the properties of different dielectric elastomers applying to actuators

Abstract Dielectric elastomers can be used in the field of actuators and sensors, however, different kinds of polymer elastomers have different mechanical and electrical properties. PVDF(Polyvinylidene fluoride), PE(polyethylene), TPU(Thermoplastic polyurethanes), PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) are four commonly used dielectric elastomer polymers. In this paper, the mechanical and electrical properties of PVDF, PE, TPU and PDMS are analyzed as well as the advantages and disadvantages of materials used as an dielectric elastomers. It has been proved that PVDF has a large modulus and dielectric constant, however, its mechanical stability is poor and it is difficult to generate a large deformation. PDMS has a small modulus which could produce large deformation, and has the best mechanical stability, but the dielectric constant is small. PE is easy to form films and can be compounded with the largest number of ceramic particles to prepare composites while TPU has better comprehensive performance with a large permittivity and low modulus, at the same time, it is convenient for mass production by extrusion process.