Pattern evolution in bending dielectric-elastomeric bilayers

Abstract

We propose theoretical and numerical analyses of smart bending deformation of a dielectric-elastic bilayer in response to a voltage, based on the nonlinear theory of electro-elasticity and the associated linearized incremental field theory. We reveal that the mechanism allowing the bending angle of the bilayer can be tuned by adjusting the applied voltage. Furthermore, we investigate how much can the bilayer be bent before it loses its stability by buckling when one of its faces is under too much compression. We find that the physical properties of the two layers must be selected to be of the same order of magnitude to obtain a consequent bending without encountering buckling. If required, the wrinkles can be designed to appear on either the inner or the outer bent surface of the buckled bilayer. We validate the results through comparison with those of the classical elastic problem.

References in corpus (4)

• Bending instabilities of soft tissues
• Wrinkles in soft dielectric plates
• Modified multiplicative decomposition model for tissue growth: Beyond the initial stress-free state
• Tuning the pull-in instability of soft dielectric elastomers through loading protocols

Cited by in corpus (6)

• Prescribing patterns in growing tubular soft matter by initial residual stress
• Nonlinear response and axisymmetric wave propagation in functionally graded soft electro-active tubes
• Electrostatically tunable axisymmetric vibrations of soft electro-active tubes
• Voltage-controlled non-axisymmetric vibrations of soft electro-active tubes with strain-stiffening effect
• Tunable morphing of electroactive dielectric-elastomer balloons
• Electro-mechanical wrinkling of soft dielectric films bonded to hyperelastic substrates