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Journal of Materials Science and Nanotechnology | Volume: 2
August 20-21, 2018 | Paris, France
Materials Science and Materials Chemistry
International Conference on
Dielectric elastomer artificial muscles
Chiba S
Chiba Science Institute, Japan
G
rowth in world population and further industrialization
combined with concerns about global climate change is
causing a surge in demand for clean and renewable energy.
We discuss the potential of Dielectric Elastomers (DEs), a
new energy transduction technology that can be used to
harvest energy from the environment or human activities
as well as save energy by making light and efficient motors
and other devices. At the material level, this material has fast
speed of response (over 100,000 Hz has been demonstrated
for small strains), with a high strain rate (up to 640%), high
pressure (up to 8 MPa), and power density of 1 W/g (for
comparison, human muscle is 0.2 W/g and an electric motor
with gearbox is 0.05 W/g). Currently, research is moving
from the development stage into the commercialization
stage through establishment of practical applications. Using
a DE actuator makes it possible to achieve a highly efficient
transduction from electric energy into mechanical energy,
which translates into a considerable energy saving compared
with other actuator technologies such as electric motors
with gearboxes. Furthermore, its low cost, light weight,
softness, and quietness make the actuator suitable for
robots, sensors, motors, speakers, pumps, smart materials,
and a wide range of other uses that are currently under
development. DE has a very simple structure comprised
of a polymer film (elastomer) sandwiched between two
electrodes made of a flexible and elastic material. Applying
a voltage difference between the two electrodes causes a
compression in the horizontal direction and a stretching
along the surface. Until recently, the possibility of using
DE for electricity generation (energy harvesting) was not
well known compared with actuator mode. The operating
principle for the electricity generator is rather simple. The
DE generator mode uses the actuator mode process in
reverse, transforming mechanical energy originating from
the physical deformation of the film into electrical energy
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