Liquid Crystal Elastomer Soft Actuator for Low-Voltage Actuation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional dielectric elastomer actuators require high input voltages (1000-10000 volts), leading to increased bulkiness, reduced energy efficiency, and safety concerns, limiting their widespread application due to electromechanical instability and the need for rigid frames.
Innovation Solution
The development of dielectric liquid crystal elastomers fabricated using a process involving loosely cross-linked polydomain liquid crystal elastomers, pre-stretching, and UV cross-linking, allowing operation at significantly lower voltages (less than 300 volts) without external frames, utilizing liquid crystal monomers and cross-linkers to achieve soft elasticity and high dielectric permittivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If conventional dielectric elastomers are used to create electromechanical actuators, then the actuators can produce motion through dielectric deformation, but high input voltages (1000-10000 volts) are required which increase system bulkiness, reduce energy efficiency, and create safety concerns
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameters by using liquid crystal elastomers with specific molecular structures (containing mesogenic groups) that have inherently higher dielectric permittivity and softer elasticity. This material parameter change allows the actuator to achieve the same actuation capability at lower voltages, directly reducing the power requirements and eliminating the need for bulky high-voltage amplifiers
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite material design by combining liquid crystal monomers with elastomeric polymers to create liquid crystal elastomers. This composite material exhibits both the dielectric properties needed for actuation and the mechanical flexibility required for soft deformation, enabling low-voltage operation while maintaining actuation effectiveness
2Force
If high input voltages are applied to dielectric elastomer actuators, then sufficient actuation force is achieved, but electromechanical instability occurs and rigid frames are required which increase device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the mechanical parameters of the elastomer by incorporating liquid crystal phases that provide soft elasticity. This parameter change allows the material to undergo large deformations without developing the stress concentrations that lead to electromechanical instability, enabling reliable actuation without rigid supporting frames
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using rigid frames to prevent instability in conventional elastomers, the patent inverts the approach by using intrinsically soft liquid crystal elastomers that naturally resist electromechanical instability through their molecular structure, eliminating the need for rigid supporting structures
3Reliability
If conventional dielectric elastomers require rigid frames for structural support, then electromechanical instability is prevented, but the device complexity and bulkiness increase
Solution Approach 1:
The liquid crystal elastomer material serves itself by providing both the actuation function and the structural stability function. The mesogenic groups within the elastomer network self-organize to provide soft elasticity that prevents electromechanical instability without requiring external rigid frames,实现ing self-sufficient structural support
4Power
If high voltage amplifiers are used to power dielectric elastomer actuators, then sufficient power is delivered, but energy efficiency decreases and the system becomes less practical for wearable and biomedical applications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the electrical parameters by using liquid crystal elastomers with higher dielectric permittivity, which increases the capacitance of the actuator. This parameter change allows the actuator to store more electrical energy at lower voltages, improving energy efficiency and eliminating the need for inefficient high-voltage power amplifiers
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables the creation of freestanding actuators with high tensile strength and large actuation strains at low electric fields, reducing electromechanical instability and enabling applications in biomedical and wearable devices where high voltage is a safety concern, while maintaining energy efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
A dielectric elastomer (DE) can be used as an electromechanical soft actuator and can be fabricated using rubber like materials that can deform under an electric field
Implementation Method 2
cross-linking elements of the loosely cross-linked polydomain liquid crystal elastomer to form the dielectric liquid crystal elastomer
Data Source
AI summary
Described are methods for manufacturing and using an electromechanical soft actuator including a dielectric liquid crystal elastomer. A method for manufacturing the electromechanical soft actuator including the dielectric liquid elastomer may include the steps of fabricating a loosely cross-linked polydomain liquid crystal elastomer, pre-stretching the loosely cross-linked polydomain liquid crystal elastomer on a frame, cross-linking elements of the loosely cross-linked polydomain liquid crystal elastomer to form the dielectric liquid crystal elastomer and removing the frame from the dielectric liquid crystal elastomer. The disclosed electromechanical soft actuator including the dielectric liquid crystal elastomer can be used in transducer for converting electrical energy to mechanical energy. The transducer may include at least two electrodes, and the dielectric liquid crystal elastomer, which has a first position that is deflected to a second position in response to a change in an electric field provided by the at least two electrodes.