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Tan MWM, Wang H, Gao D, Huang P, Lee PS. Towards high performance and durable soft tactile actuators. Chem Soc Rev 2024; 53:3485-3535. [PMID: 38411597 DOI: 10.1039/d3cs01017a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
Soft actuators are gaining significant attention due to their ability to provide realistic tactile sensations in various applications. However, their soft nature makes them vulnerable to damage from external factors, limiting actuation stability and device lifespan. The susceptibility to damage becomes higher with these actuators often in direct contact with their surroundings to generate tactile feedback. Upon onset of damage, the stability or repeatability of the device will be undermined. Eventually, when complete failure occurs, these actuators are disposed of, accumulating waste and driving the consumption of natural resources. This emphasizes the need to enhance the durability of soft tactile actuators for continued operation. This review presents the principles of tactile feedback of actuators, followed by a discussion of the mechanisms, advancements, and challenges faced by soft tactile actuators to realize high actuation performance, categorized by their driving stimuli. Diverse approaches to achieve durability are evaluated, including self-healing, damage resistance, self-cleaning, and temperature stability for soft actuators. In these sections, current challenges and potential material designs are identified, paving the way for developing durable soft tactile actuators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Wei Ming Tan
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798, Singapore.
- Singapore-HUJ Alliance for Research and Enterprise (SHARE), Smart Grippers for Soft Robotics (SGSR), Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE), Singapore, 138602, Singapore
| | - Hui Wang
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798, Singapore.
| | - Dace Gao
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798, Singapore.
| | - Peiwen Huang
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798, Singapore.
| | - Pooi See Lee
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798, Singapore.
- Singapore-HUJ Alliance for Research and Enterprise (SHARE), Smart Grippers for Soft Robotics (SGSR), Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE), Singapore, 138602, Singapore
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Dascalu M, Iacob M, Tugui C, Bele A, Stiubianu G, Racles C, Cazacu M. Octakis(phenyl)‐
T8
‐silsesquioxane‐filled silicone elastomers with enhanced electromechanical capability. J Appl Polym Sci 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/app.50161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mihaela Dascalu
- Department of Inorganic Polymers “Petru Poni” Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry Iasi Romania
| | - Mihail Iacob
- Department of Inorganic Polymers “Petru Poni” Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry Iasi Romania
| | - Codrin Tugui
- Department of Inorganic Polymers “Petru Poni” Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry Iasi Romania
| | - Adrian Bele
- Department of Inorganic Polymers “Petru Poni” Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry Iasi Romania
| | - George‐Theodor Stiubianu
- Department of Inorganic Polymers “Petru Poni” Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry Iasi Romania
| | - Carmen Racles
- Department of Inorganic Polymers “Petru Poni” Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry Iasi Romania
| | - Maria Cazacu
- Department of Inorganic Polymers “Petru Poni” Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry Iasi Romania
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3
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Christensen LR, Hassager O, Skov AL. Electro‐thermal
and ‐mechanical model of thermal breakdown in multilayered dielectric elastomers. AIChE J 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/aic.16275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Line Riis Christensen
- Danish Polymer Centre, Department of Chemical and Biochemical EngineeringTechnical University of Denmark Lyngby Denmark
| | - Ole Hassager
- Danish Polymer Centre, Department of Chemical and Biochemical EngineeringTechnical University of Denmark Lyngby Denmark
| | - Anne Ladegaard Skov
- Danish Polymer Centre, Department of Chemical and Biochemical EngineeringTechnical University of Denmark Lyngby Denmark
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Christensen LR, Hassager O, Skov AL. Electro‐Thermal model of thermal breakdown in multilayered dielectric elastomers. AIChE J 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/aic.16478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Line R. Christensen
- Danish Polymer Centre, Dept. of Chemical and Biochemical EngineeringTechnical University of Denmark 2800 Lyngby Denmark
| | - Ole Hassager
- Danish Polymer Centre, Dept. of Chemical and Biochemical EngineeringTechnical University of Denmark 2800 Lyngby Denmark
| | - Anne L. Skov
- Danish Polymer Centre, Dept. of Chemical and Biochemical EngineeringTechnical University of Denmark 2800 Lyngby Denmark
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5
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Madsen PJ, Yu L, Boucher S, Skov AL. Enhancing the electro-mechanical properties of polydimethylsiloxane elastomers through blending with poly(dimethylsiloxane-co-methylphenylsiloxane) copolymers. RSC Adv 2018; 8:23077-23088. [PMID: 35540148 PMCID: PMC9081550 DOI: 10.1039/c8ra02314j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2018] [Accepted: 06/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
In this work, improved electro-mechanical properties of silicone-based dielectric elastomers are achieved by means of adding so-called “voltage-stabilisers” prepared from phenyl-functional copolymers prepared using oxyanionic ring-opening polymerisation of octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D4) and either tetramethyltetraphenylcyclotetrasiloxane (T4) or octaphenylcyclotetrasiloxane (O4). The concentration of the voltage stabiliser was varied both by changing the molar ratio between methyl and phenyl groups in the copolymer and also by varying the amount of copolymer mixed into a PDMS-based elastomer. The phenyl-functional copolymers were generally found to disperse homogeneously in the PDMS matrix and this resulted in networks with improved mechanical and electrical properties. The developed elastomers were inherently extensible with enhanced tensile and tear strengths, due to phenyl-rich microphases acting as reinforcing domains. Furthermore, addition of phenyl-functional copolymers resulted in elastomers with increased relative permittivity and electrical breakdown strength compared to control elastomers while retaining a low dielectric loss. This demonstrates their efficiency as voltage stabilisers. Improved electro-mechanical properties of silicone-based dielectric elastomers are achieved by means of adding so-called “voltage-stabilisers” prepared from phenyl-functional copolymers prepared using oxyanionic ring-opening polymerisation.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Jeppe Madsen
- Danish Polymer Centre
- Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering
- Technical University of Denmark
- 2800 Kgs. Lyngby
- Denmark
| | - Liyun Yu
- Danish Polymer Centre
- Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering
- Technical University of Denmark
- 2800 Kgs. Lyngby
- Denmark
| | - Sarah Boucher
- Danish Polymer Centre
- Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering
- Technical University of Denmark
- 2800 Kgs. Lyngby
- Denmark
| | - Anne Ladegaard Skov
- Danish Polymer Centre
- Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering
- Technical University of Denmark
- 2800 Kgs. Lyngby
- Denmark
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6
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Yu L, Skov AL. ZnO as a cheap and effective filler for high breakdown strength elastomers. RSC Adv 2017. [DOI: 10.1039/c7ra09479e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Cheap, high-performance dielectric elastomers are in high demand from industry concerning new products based on dielectric elastomer transducers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liyun Yu
- Danish Polymer Centre
- Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering
- Technical University of Denmark
- Denmark
| | - Anne Ladegaard Skov
- Danish Polymer Centre
- Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering
- Technical University of Denmark
- Denmark
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