Characterizations and Inkjet Printing of Carbon Black Electrodes for Dielectric Elastomer Actuators

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

Abstract

Dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) have been proposed as a promising technology for developing soft robotics and stretchable electronics due to their large actuation. Among available fabrication techniques, inkjet printing is a digital, mask-free, material-saving, and fast technology, making it versatile and appealing for fabricating DEA electrodes. However, there is still a lack of suitable materials for inkjet-printed electrodes. In this study, multiple carbon black (CB) inks were developed and tested as DEA electrodes inkjet-printed on acrylic membranes (VHB). Triethylene glycol monomethyl ether (TGME) and chlorobenzene (CLB) were selected to disperse CB. The inks’ stability, particle size, surface tension, viscosity, electrical resistance, and printability were characterized. The DEA with Ink-TGME/CLB (mixture solvent) electrodes obtained 80.63% area strain, a new benchmark for the DEA actuation with CB powder electrodes on VHB. The novelty of this work involves the disclosure of a new ink recipe (TGME/CLB/CB) for inkjet printing that can obtain stable drop formations with a small nozzle (17 × 17 μm), high resolution (∼25 μm, approaching the limit of drop-on-demand inkjet printing), and the largest area strain of DEAs under similar conditions, distinguishing this contribution from the previous works, which is important for the fabrication and miniaturization of DEA-based soft and stretchable electronics.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)41992-42003
Number of pages12
JournalACS applied materials & interfaces
Volume15
Issue number35
Publication statusPublished - 6 Sept 2023
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

ORCID /0000-0001-5958-2111/work/173049760
ORCID /0000-0003-3842-1487/work/173050046
ORCID /0000-0002-9903-9807/work/173053053
ORCID /0000-0002-8588-9755/work/173054008
Scopus 85169848466

Keywords