Arbitrarily Patterned Active Wrinkles in Highly Stretched Substrate-Free Dielectric Elastic Membrane

Abstract

Dynamic wrinkle patterns provide an effective approach for on-demand tuning of membrane optical and mechanical properties to realize a smart membrane. Related applications depend on forming and controlling of a sophisticated wrinkling region. Herein, by using strip-structured electrode couples, we enable regular and ordered wrinkling patterns in an arbitrarily shaped region in a pre-stretched substrate-free dielectric elastic membrane. By considering the electromechanical coupling in a substrate-free hyperelastic membrane, the winkling condition and wavelength are predicated theoretically. Supported by the theoretical results, a series of experimental and numerical demonstrations are realized. The method proposed in this work provides a general framework for forming controllable highly ordered wrinkling patterns in a complex/large area of a substrate-free membrane, which could provide useful guidance for the application of dielectric elastomers in intelligent materials and structures.