A Comparative Study of the Electrical and Electromechanical Responses of Carbon Nanotube/Polypropylene Composites in Alternating and Direct Current

The electrical and electromechanical responses of ~200 µm thick extruded nanocomposite films comprising of 4 wt.% and 5 wt.% multiwall carbon nanotubes mixed with polypropylene are investigated under an alternating current (AC) and compared to their direct current (DC) response. The AC electrical response to frequency (f) and strain (piezoimpedance) is characterized using two configurations, namely one that promotes resistive dominance (resistive configuration) and the other that promotes the permittivity/capacitive contribution (dielectric configuration). For the resistive configuration, the frequency response indicated a resistive–capacitive (RC) behavior (negative phase angle, θ), with a significant contribution of capacitance for frequencies of 104 Hz and above, depending on the nanotube content. The piezoimpedance characterization in the resistive configuration yielded an increasing impedance modulus (|Z|) and an increasing (negative) value of θ as the strain increased. The piezoimpedance sensitivity at f = 10 kHz was ~30% higher than the corresponding DC piezoresistive sensitivity, yielding a sensitivity factor of 9.9 for |Z| and a higher sensitivity factor (~12.7) for θ. The dielectric configuration enhanced the permittivity contribution to impedance, but it was the least sensitive to strain.

Finite Element Model for Investigating the Thermo-Electro-Mechanical Response of Inhomogeneously Deforming Dielectric Elastomer Actuators

Among the available soft active materials, Dielectric elastomers (DEs) possess the capability of achieving the large actuation strain under the application of high electric field. The material behavior of such elastomers is affected significantly by the change in temperature. This paper reports a 3-D finite element framework based on the coupled nonlinear theory of thermo-electro-elasticity for investigating the thermal effects on the electromechanical performance of inhomogeneously deforming dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs). The material behavior of the actuator is modeled using the neo-Hookean model of hyperelasticity with temperature dependent shear modulus. An in-house computational code is developed to implement the coupled finite element framework. Firstly, the accuracy of the developed FE code is verified by simulating the temperature effects on the actuation response and pull-in instability of the benchmark homogeneously deforming planar DE actuator. Further, the influence of temperature on the electromechanical responses of complex bi-layered bending actuator and buckling pump actuator involving inhomogeneous deformation is investigated. The numerical framework and the associated inferences can find their potential use in addressing the effect of temperature in the design of electro-active polymer based actuators.

Modification of Mechanical and Electromechanical Resonances of Cellular Ferroelectret Films Depending on the External Load

Ferroelectret films are cellular polymers with electrically charged pores that exhibit piezoelectric response. Among other applications, ferroelectret films have been widely used as active elements in air-coupled ultrasonic transducers. More recently, they have also been tested in water immersion. They show a promising wide frequency band response, but a poor sensitivity produced by the disappearance of the electromechanical resonances. This paper studies in detail the modification of FE films response when put into water immersion, both the mechanical and the electromechanical responses (the latter in transmission and reception modes). The lack of electromechanical thickness resonances when the films are put into water is explained as the result of the different profile of the modification of the polarization vector along the film thickness imposed by the large mechanical load produced by the water. This different electromechanical response can also be the reason for the subtle modification of the mechanical thickness resonances that is also observed and analyzed.

Low- and high-field electromechanical responses of relaxor-based multicomponent ceramics for application in multiregime actuators

The electromechanical responses of multicomponent solid solutions [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]([Formula: see text][Formula: see text])[Formula: see text]([Formula: see text][Formula: see text])[Formula: see text]([Formula: see text][Formula: see text])[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]O3 in low and high electric fields were studied. In both cases, significant electromechanical responses are observed. In particular, the maximum values of the large-signal piezoelectric coefficient [Formula: see text] reach 1600[Formula: see text]m/V at very low values of the electric field ([Formula: see text]5[Formula: see text]kV/cm). The observed features of the electromechanical responses of the studied ceramics are advantages in terms of their possible application in actuators.