Thermoelectromechanical instability of dielectric elastomer undergoes polarization saturation and temperature variation

Abstract: When the electric field caused by voltage reaches a certain level, the charge on the compliant electrodes will not increase owing to the polarization saturation, which would limit the deformation of the dielectric elastomer. Some experiments show that temperature also has a significant effect on the deformation of dielectric elastomer. In this work, a free energy model coupling temperature and polarization saturation is developed to characterize the thermoelectromechanical instability of dielectric elastomer. The results reveal that both the polarization saturation parameters and electric field have a significant influence on the actuation ability of the dielectric elastomer, and the increase of temperature enhances thermoelectromechanical stability. It is hoped that this work could guide the development of dielectric elastomer materials and application devices operating in variable temperatures. Graphic abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]