Dielectric elastomer actuator using ferroelectric nematic liquid crystals

Abstract

Polymer gels, stably swollen by the liquid crystal compound having a 1,3-dioxane skeleton (DIO) showing large dielectric permittivity more than 10,000 in a ferroelectric nematic phase, were prepared by polymerizing and cross-linking using thiol-Michael addition reaction between a bifunctional liquid-crystal acrylate monomer and bifunctional and tetrafunctional thiol monomers. The dielectric permittivity of the gel at 100 Hz was estimated to be about 150 from the dielectric relaxation measurements. The dielectric elastomer actuator composed of this gel with good mechanical stability showed a larger deformation response to the application of an electric field than conventional gels, and was able to be driven to move up and down reversibly for 500 times its own weight.