AgNW/Graphene Hybrid Electrode for Dielectric Elastomer Actuator

Dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) necessitate stretchable electrodes that show mechanical compliance and sustain conductivity even under stretching. A percolative network of silver nanowires (AgNWs) as an ultrathin film formed on the elastomer meets all these requirements as stretchable electrodes. However, AgNWs are prone to thermal degradation due to resistive heating caused by applied electrical current. This work introduces a hybrid stretchable electrode of AgNWs coated by graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) to produce more resilient and durable DEAs. GNPs added to preformed AgNW structures act as a protective layer, mitigating localized heating at NW junctions and eventually preventing DEA failure. The hybrid electrodes show a sheet resistance as low as 9 Ω/sq and electromechanical strain as high as 56.5% at an electric field of 45 V/μm when integrated into the DEAs. The AgNW/GNP DEAs also show high endurance, withstanding an applied electric field up to 70 V/μm without failure. This work showcases the advantages of rationally selected hybrid materials that produce more resilient DEAs.