Influence of Carbon-Based Fillers on the Electromagnetic Shielding Properties of a Silicone-Potting Compound.

The effect of carbon-based additives on adhesives and potting compounds with regard to electrical conductivity and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding properties is of great interest. The increasing power of wireless systems and the ever-higher frequency bands place new demands on shielding technology. This publication gives an overview of the effect of carbon-based fillers on electrical conductivity, electromagnetic shielding properties, and the influence of different fillers and filler amounts on rheological behavior.

Thermo-Electro-Mechanical Characterization of PDMS-Based Dielectric Elastomer Actuators.

The present contribution aims towards a thermo-electro-mechanical characterization of dielectric elastomer actuators (DEA) based on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). To this end, an experimental setup is proposed in order to evaluate the PDMS-based DEA behavior under the influence of various rates of mechanical loading, different ambient temperatures, and varying values of an applied electric voltage. To obtain mechanical, electro-mechanical and thermo-mechanical experimental data, the passive behavior of the material, as well as the material's response when electrically activated, was tested.

Melt Spinning of Highly Stretchable, Electrically Conductive Filament Yarns.

Electrically conductive fibers are required for various applications in modern textile technology, e.g., the manufacturing of smart textiles and fiber composite systems with textile-based sensor and actuator systems.

A Worm-Like Biomimetic Crawling Robot Based on Cylindrical Dielectric Elastomer Actuators.

In recent years the field of soft robotics has gained a lot of interest both in academia and industry. In contrast to rigid robots, which are potentially very powerful and precise, soft robots are composed of compliant materials like gels or elastomers (Rich et al., 2018; Majidi, 2019).

A Biomimetic Fish Fin-Like Robot Based on Textile Reinforced Silicone.

The concept of merging pre-processed textile materials with tailored mechanical properties into soft matrices is so far rarely used in the field of soft robotics. The herein presented work takes the advantages of textile materials in elastomer matrices to another level by integrating a material with highly anisotropic bending properties. A pre-fabricated textile material consisting of oriented carbon fibers is used as a stiff component to precisely control the mechanical behavior of the robotic setup.