Influence of micro- and nanofillers on electro-mechanical performance of silicone EAPs

The effect of different fillers on the mechanical and dielectric properties of soft elastomers has been investigated. It was found that the addition of a small amount of silica fillers would increase the Young’s modulus significantly but not simultaneously increase the tear strength sufficiently for processing as thin films.

Addition of nanoclay and barium titanate nanoparticles to the soft elastomers was shown to be very favorable for the enhancement of the dielectric properties without increasing the Young’s modulus significantly and could be used for DEAP material in e.g. microprocessing where the tear strength is not crucial for processing.

However, for elastomer film processing it is suggested that a combination of the nanoclay or barium titanate with either silica particles or bimodal networks would give the right tear strength together with the desired increased dielectric permittivity.