The Study of Static Electromechanical Properties of Silicone Nanocomposites

Dielectric elastomers are highly deformable, fast response smart materials capable of both actuation and sensing. Silicone rubber has been applied for this purpose for quite some time and improvements in its properties as a dielectric elastomer has been desired by researchers and technologists. In this direction, nano-composites of organo-clay Montmorillonite in silicone rubber were prepared by solution mixing method, and XRD patterns have shown suitable dispersion of the clay in the polymer matrix. Mechanical and dielectric properties of nano-composites were measured and the measured values were compared with properties of the reference rubber. Results show the increase of mechanical strength and dielectric constant of the nano-composite compared to the reference silicone rubber which is desirable for actuation applications.

Keywords:

Dielectric elastomers , Silicone rubber , Nano-composites