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Theory of dielectric elastomers

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Abstract

In response to a stimulus, a soft material deforms, and the deformation provides a function. We call such a material a soft active material (SAM). This review focuses on one class of soft active materials: dielectric elastomers. When a membrane of a dielectric elastomer is subject to a voltage through its thickness, the membrane reduces thickness and expands area, possibly straining over 100%. The dielectric elastomers are being developed as transducers for broad applications, including soft robots, adaptive optics, Braille displays, and electric generators. This paper reviews the theory of dielectric elastomers, developed within continuum mechanics and thermodynamics, and motivated by molecular pictures and empirical observations. The theory couples large deformation and electric potential, and describes nonlinear and nonequilibrium behavior, such as electromechanical instability and viscoelasticity. The theory enables the finite element method to simulate transducers of realistic configurations, predicts the efficiency of electromechanical energy conversion, and suggests alternative routes to achieve giant voltage-induced deformation. It is hoped that the theory will aid in the creation of materials and devices.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Kavli Institute for Nanobio Science and Technology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA

    Zhigang Suo

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Correspondence to Zhigang Suo.

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This review draws upon work carried out over the last six years, as a part of a research program on Soft Active Materials, supported at various times by NSF (CMMI-0800161, Large Deformation and Instability in Soft Active Materials), by MURI (W911NF-04-1-0170, Design and Processing of Electret Structures; W911NF-09-1-0476, Innovative Design and Processing for Multi-Functional Adaptive Structural Materials), and by DARPA (W911NF-08-1-0143, Programmable Matter; W911NF-10-1-0113, Cephalopod-Inspired Adaptive Photonic Systems). This work was done in collaboration with many individuals, as indicated by co-authored papers listed in the references. This review has been revised from early drafts using comments received from Siegfried Bauer, Luis Dorfmann, Christoph Keplinger, Guggi Kofod, Adrian Koh, Gabor Kovacs, Liwu Liu, Edoardo Mazza, Arne Schmidt, Carmine Trimarco, and Jian Zhu.

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Suo, Z. Theory of dielectric elastomers. Acta Mech. Solida Sin. 23, 549–578 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1016/S0894-9166(11)60004-9

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