Low-voltage and high-output dielectric elastomer actuators for untethered soft machines working at 200 volts

Abstract

Dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) are promising artificial muscles featuring large actuation strains, high energy densities, and fast response speeds. However, their reliance on kilovolt-level driving voltages remains a substantial barrier to their application in untethered systems. Here, low-voltage and high-output DEAs (LVHO-DEAs) were developed by synthesizing an elastomer material-high-dielectric constant processable high-performance dielectric elastomer, with optimized stress-strain behavior and an improved dielectric constant-and by multilayering its thin films through a scalable dry-stacking process. The developed LVHO-DEAs achieved an energy density of 38.4 joules per kilogram and a power density of 452 watts per kilogram at a nominal electric field of 20 volts per micrometer without any prestretching or high-frequency resonance. Driven by LVHO-DEAs, untethered wearable devices and soft robots with different actuation mechanisms were fabricated, demonstrating effective operation at 200 volts. These findings bridge the gap between the theoretical promise of DEAs and their practical application in untethered soft systems by enabling them to serve as high-performance actuators at low driving voltages.