A model for dielectric elastomer based electronics

This contribution presents a model for electronic circuits built with dielectric elastomers (DEs). The core of this kind of circuits is the dielectric elastomer transistor (DET), a highly sensitive piezo-resistive component that can be used, like a conventional transistor, to realize circuits. DETs can be directly integrated into more complex DE structures, as signal processing units, since they are made with the same technology and thus work under the same conditions. In this contribution, a Simulink model that can reproduce the electro-mechanical behavior of DE electronic circuits and predict their output is presented. The model takes into account how the mechanical and electrical properties of DETs influence one another and connects them to simulate complete circuits. The required system parameters, such as actuation and resistance change, are obtained from measurements using mathematical equations. The model is then assembled and tested. All the logic gates have been set up using DETs, and their physical behavior was experimentally investigated and compared to the simulations. It is shown that the model can accurately reproduce the logical behavior of the gates, and correctly takes into account mechanical characteristics such as viscoelasticity.