The role of material behavior in the performances of electroactive polymer energy harvesters

Colonnelli, Stefania; Saccomandi, Giuseppe; Zurlo, Giuseppe

doi:10.1002/polb.23761

Cited by 14 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…The electric breakdown strength for VHB 4905 used for this analysis is, 150MV/m [28]. This is equivalent to a value of 4.232 when non-dimensionalized using E ffiffiffiffiffiffiffi ε=μ p…”

Section: Electric Breakdownmentioning

confidence: 99%

Operational limits of a non-homogeneous dielectric elastomer transducer

Mathew

Koh

2017

International Journal of Smart and Nano Materials

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Operation of a dielectric elastomer (DE) transducer is limited by the way it fails, and any other limits imposed by the user. For example, material rupture and dielectric breakdown are two examples of transducer failure, while tension loss is a user-imposed limit. Electromechanical instability may or may not result in transducer failure, but is often considered as a boundary to denote the onset of state transition. For a DE undergoing homogeneous deformation, constructing operational limits on work-conjugate state diagrams are rather straightforward. However, for DE subjected to non-homogeneous deformation, the process is more complex. We present a method to plot the operational boundaries of a DE subject to non-homogeneous deformation, known commonly as the Universal Muscle Actuator or the loudspeaker configuration. Our analysis show that tension loss need not be imposed as a hard operational limit, and that there is further operational space for the transducer, post tension loss. By plotting the operational limits on work-conjugate planes, we determine an optimal inner-to-outer ring ratio and the required pre-stretches that maximize energy conversion.

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“…The electric breakdown strength for VHB 4905 used for this analysis is, 150MV/m [28]. This is equivalent to a value of 4.232 when non-dimensionalized using E ffiffiffiffiffiffiffi ε=μ p…”

Section: Electric Breakdownmentioning

confidence: 99%

Operational limits of a non-homogeneous dielectric elastomer transducer

Mathew

Koh

2017

International Journal of Smart and Nano Materials

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“…The electromechanical behavior of thin dielectric elastomers, together with the type and order of instabilities affecting their performances, is fundamentally different in voltage and in charge controlled systems. Shedding light onto such divide is important for the design of dielectric elastomers in applications like sensing, actuation, energy harvesting and on-demand patterning [1][2][3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stable wrinkling in voltage and charge controlled dielectric membranes

Zurlo

2019

Preprint

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Thin dielectric elastomers with compliant electrodes exhibit various types of instability under the action of electromechanical loading. Guided by the thermodynamically-based formulation of Fosdick and Tang (J. Elasticity 88, 255-297, 2007), here we provide an energetic perspective on the stability of dielectric elastomers and we highlight the fundamental energetic divide between voltage control and charge control. By using the concept of energy relaxation, we describe wrinkling for neo-Hookean ideal elastomers, and we show that in voltage control wrinkling is stable as long as the tension-extension inequality holds, whereas wrinkling is always stable in charge control. We finally illustrate some examples involving both homogeneous and inhomogeneous deformations, showing that the type and hierarchy of instabilities taking place in dielectric membranes can be tuned by suitable choices of the boundary conditions.

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“…In this investigation, the generalized neo-Hookean material modelColonnelli et al (2015);Luo et al (2020) is used to describe the hyperelastic response of the membrane. However, this choice is not restrictive and the analysis presented here can easily be extended for assessing the effect of other models of hyperelasticity, such as Mooney-Rivlin Joglekar (2014); Soares et al (2020), YeohChen et al (2018); Wissler and Mazza (2005), Gent Zhang and Chen (2020); Zhang et al (2018); Zhou et al (2018) and Arruda-Boyce Park et al (2012), etc.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

An Energy-Based Nonlinear Dynamic Model of Dielectric Elastomer Minimum Energy Structures with Stiffeners: Equilibrium Configuration and the Electromechanical Response

Khurana

Patra

Joglekar

2021

Preprint

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The Dielectric Elastomer-based Minimum Energy Structures (DEMES) pertain to an equilibrium configuration attained by the assembly of a pre-stretched electroactive polymer film and a compliant boundary frame. Because of their unique characteristics, such as fast response and a large reversible stroke; DEMES have been used widely in the development of soft robotic transducers. However, their utility is typically restricted because of the warping resulting from anticlastic curvature. The present investigation examines the effectiveness of stiffeners in controlling this warping, as well as their effect on the resulting electromechanical response when the DEMES is driven electrically. To this end, we devise an energy-based analytical model that predicts the initial equilibrium configuration of an elementary rectangular DEMES with a finite number of stiffeners adhered to the boundary frame. The proposed framework uses the neo-Hookean hyperelasticity model for the polymer film and the linear elastic constitutive model for both the frame and the stiffeners. Predictive capability of the proposed analytical model is established through comparisons with 3D finite element simulations and experimental observations. The analytical model is then extended in the setting of the least-action principle to investigate the complex nonlinear dynamic behavior of the DEMES emanating from the interplay between material and geometric nonlinearities. The proposed dynamic model provides crucial insights into the role of varying levels of geometric and material parameters on the attainment of the initial equilibrium configuration of DEMES and its DC dynamic response when driven by a Heaviside electric load. In particular, we highlight the favorable impact of adding stiffeners in enhancing the stroke of the DEMES and an amplification in the attained equilibrium angle with an increasing spacing between the stiffeners. The analytical model and the results reported in this investigation can be of potential use in pre-designing the geometrical and material properties of DEMES for enhancing its electromechanical performance.

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The role of material behavior in the performances of electroactive polymer energy harvesters

Cited by 14 publications

References 40 publications

Operational limits of a non-homogeneous dielectric elastomer transducer

Operational limits of a non-homogeneous dielectric elastomer transducer

Stable wrinkling in voltage and charge controlled dielectric membranes

An Energy-Based Nonlinear Dynamic Model of Dielectric Elastomer Minimum Energy Structures with Stiffeners: Equilibrium Configuration and the Electromechanical Response

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