Elastomeric electrode and casting process for manufacturing multilayer dielectric elastomer actuators

In this paper, we present the preparation of a novel elastomeric electrode and characterize its properties. Meanwhile, a casting process is developed to manufacture multilayer dielectric elastomer actuator, which based on silicone material and elastomeric electrode. This process casts every layer by a casting coater, and the formed thickness was adjustable. Besides, the casting process makes it possible to make complex electrode geometries in the millimeter scale. At last, the experiment results demonstrate that the multilayer DEA manufactured by this process enjoys the advantage of homogenous and reproducible properties as well as no performance degradation after one-year use.