Enhanced actuation performance of silicone rubber via the synergistic effect of polyaniline particles and silicone oil

Due to the large strain and fast response characteristics of dielectric elastomers (DEs), they are regarded as a promising alternative for “artificial muscle” applications. Silicone rubber (SR) with good aging resistance, biocompatibility, and high insulation, is considered excellent candidate material for DEs. In this work, conductive polyaniline (PANI) particles were dispersed as dielectric filler to improve the value of dielectric constant (ε), while the silicone oil (SO) was incorporated as a plasticizer for increasing the flexibility of SR DE-based composites. At last, the actuated strain of 30 phr SO/PANI/SR DE-based composite reached the value of 9.5% under 60 kV/mm, which was equivalent to an increase of 265% for the pure SR (2.6%) at the same electric field. Moreover, good durability and mechanical properties were demonstrated for the as-prepared SR DE-based composites, which is of great importance for their long-term use.