Dielectric elastomer actuators fabricated using a micro-molding process

All-polymer dielectric elastomer actuators have been manufactured using a micro-molding fabrication process. The actuators are multilayer beams made of three conductive and two dielectric elastomer layers. By applying an electrical potential between two of the neighboring conductive electrodes, a stress is generated, which leads to an asymmetric axial strain and, therefore, bending. Bidirectional actuation is achieved by changing the pair of electrodes across which the potential is applied. A 100 mu m wide, 40 mu m thick, and 1000 mu m long actuator demonstrated tip displacement as high as 318 mu m at 1.1 kV with an electrical power consumption of 10 mu W. Experimental results validate a two-dimensional ANSYS model that is also used to explore the effects of further decreasing layer thickness and relative electrode thickness on DEA performance.