Investigation of a Deposition Method for the Application of Electrode Layers for Dielectric Elastomer Transducers

This paper investigates a droplet based dispensing method for the application of compliant electrode layers for Dielectric Elastomer (DE) transducers and presents the characterization of the deposited electrodes. It is a non-contact, robust and in terms of the material requirements versatile method. As electrodes, three different carbon black based materials are prepared for the deposition by adjusting their fluid properties. The working principle of the deposition method is introduced and the deposition parameters are determined. Subsequently, the electrode materials are deposited on the very thin dielectric elastomer film. The electrical and mechanical properties of the deposited electrodes are experimentally characterized. A surface resistance of 4.1 k Omega at 4.5 mu m thickness is measured and no significant stiffening is observed up to 20 % elongation. The investigated deposition technique is able to deposit the particle filled electrode materials with a relatively wide viscosity range without contact and a homogeneous thickness of under 5 mu m within the deposited area.