Effect of Dielectric Imperfections on the Electroactive Deformations of Polar Dielectric Elastomers

Abstract

We find that the ratio of dielectric permittivity to shear modulus is linearly related to the number of polar groups per polymer chain in polar dielectric elastomers (PDEs). Our discovery is verified via computational modeling and validated by experimental evidences. Based on the finding, we introduce the new concept of dielectric imperfection (DI) and provide some physical insights into understanding it through demonstrating the large nonlinear deformation of PDEs with DIs under electric fields. The results show remarkable DI-induced inhomogeneous deformation and indicate that the size and dielectric permittivity of DIs have a significant impact on the deformation stability of PDEs under electric fields. With this concept, we propose some potential applications of PDEs with DIs.