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Fabrication Process of Silicone-based Dielectric Elastomer Actuators
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Soft Actuators Made of Discrete Grains
Sophia Eristoff1, Sang Yup Kim1,2, Lina Sanchez-Botero1
1School of Engineering and Applied Science, Yale University, 9 Hillhouse Ave., New Haven, CT, 06511, USA.
Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
|February 16, 2022
Summary
Researchers developed novel granular actuators using phase-changing materials for significant expansion. These scalable, printable soft actuators offer tunable properties and reconfigurability for diverse applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Robotics
- Soft Actuation
Background:
- Elastomers with phase-changing inclusions show potential for high-force, large-volume actuators.
- Granular assemblies offer tunable properties, jamming-induced moduli, and printability via carrier fluids.
Purpose of the Study:
- Introduce granular actuators as a new class of soft actuators.
- Explore their scalability, tunability, and printability.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of soft grains with hyperelastic shells and solvent cores.
- Inducing volumetric expansion via solvent liquid-to-gas phase change upon heating.
- Utilizing grains independently or in agglomerates, and suspending them in carrier fluids.
Main Results:
- Achieved rapid and strong volumetric expansion of hyperelastic shells up to 700%.
- Demonstrated scalability from micro-actuation to meso- and macroscale actuation.
- Enabled printable soft actuators through suspension in carrier resins/solvents.
Conclusions:
- Granular actuators combine phase-change actuation with granularity advantages.
- Offer tunable bulk properties, self-assembly compatibility, and on-demand reconfigurability.
- Present a new platform for advanced soft actuator design and fabrication.
