Transparent Flexible Polymer Actuator with Enhanced Output Force Enabled by Conductive Nanowires Interlayer

In this work, an approach to enhance the output force of polymer actuators by increasing the dielectric permittivity of the electroactive polymer (EAP), poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene-chlorotrifluoroethylene) (P(VDF-TrFE-CTFE)), via incorporation of a nanowire interlayer into the polymer matrix is presented. The interlayer is formed by a network of highly conductive silver nanowires with high aspect ratio. Due to the enhanced dielectric properties, the output force of the resultant composite actuator is double that of a neat EAP actuator. This advantage can be utilized to improve user perception of tactile feedback produced by the modified EAP actuator. The higher output force translates to a lower excitation voltage which is 60% of what is required to excite a neat EAP actuator. The resultant-modified EAP maintains its transparency and flexibility, while enhancing the dielectric properties without severe degradation of the electrical breakdown strength. The excellent transparency and flexibility of the modified EAP allows for a wider range of possible applications such as direct and localized haptic feedback on flexible electronic displays, touch screens, etc.