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Structurally colored materials can switch colors in response to external stimuli, which makes them potentially useful as colorimetric sensors, dynamic displays, and camouflage. However, their applications are limited by the angular dependence, slow response, and absence of synchronous control in time and space. In addition, out-of-plane deformation from shape instability easily occurs in photonic films, leading to inhomogeneous colors in photonic-crystal materials. To address these challenges, we combine structurally colored photonic glasses and dielectric elastomer actuators. We use an external voltage signal to tune color changes quickly (much less than 0.1 s). The photonic glassses produce colors with low angular dependence, so that their colors are homogeneous even when they become curved due to voltage-triggered instabilities (buckling or wrinkling). As proof of concept, we present a pixelated display in which segments can be independently and rapidly turned on and off. This wide-angle, instability-tolerant, color-changing platform could be used in next-generation soft and curved color displays, camouflage with both shape and color changes, and multifunctional sensors.

A capacitive-based soft elastomeric strain sensor was recently developed by the authors for structural health monitoring applications. Arranged in a network configuration, the sensor becomes a sensing skin, where local deformations can be monitored over a global area. The sensor transduces a change in geometry into a measurable change in capacitance, which can be converted into strain using a previously developed electromechanical model. Prior studies have demonstrated limitations of this electromechanical model for dynamic excitations beyond 15 Hz, because of a loss in linearity in the sensor's response. In this paper, the dynamic behavior beyond 15 Hz is further studied, and a new version of the electromechanical model is proposed to accommodate dynamic strain measurements up to AO Hz. This behavior is characterized by subjecting the sensor to a frequency sweep and identifying possible sources of nonlinearities beyond 15 Hz. Results show possible frequency dependence of the materials' Poisson's ratios, which are successfully modeled and integrated into the electromechanical model. This demonstrates that the proposed sensor can be used for monitoring and evaluation of structural responses up to 4 0 Hz, a range covering the vast majority of the dominating frequency responses of civil infrastructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dielectric elastomer transducers are being developed for applications in stretchable electronics, tunable optics, biomedical devices, and soft machines. These transducers exhibit highly nonlinear electromechanical behavior: a dielectric membrane under voltage can form wrinkles, undergo snap-through instability, and suffer electrical breakdown. We investigate temporal evolution and instability by conducting a large set of experiments under various prestretches and loading rates, and by developing a model that allows viscoelastic instability. We use the model to classify types of instability, and map the experimental observations according to prestretches and loading rates. The model describes the entire set of experimental observations. A new type of instability is discovered, which we call wrinkle-to-wrinkle transition. A flat membrane at a critical voltage forms wrinkles and then, at a second critical voltage, snaps into another state of winkles of a shorter wavelength. This study demonstrates that viscoelasticity is essential to the understanding of temporal evolution and instability of dielectric elastomers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since organic laser materials offer broad optical gain spectra they are predestined for the realization of widely tunable laser sources. Here we report on a compact organic laser device that allows for voltage controlled continuously wavelength tuning in the visible range of the spectrum by external deformation. The device consists of an elastomeric distributed feedback (DFB) laser and an electro-active elastomer actuator also known as artificial muscle. Second order DFB lasing is realized by a grating line structured elastomer substrate covered with a thin layer of dye doped polymer. To enable wavelength tuning the elastomer laser is placed at the center of the electro-active elastomer actuator. Chosen design of the actuator gives rise to homogeneous compression at this position. The voltage induced deformation of the artificial muscle is transferred to the elastomer laser and results in a decrease of grating period. This leads to an emission wavelength shift of the elastomer laser. The increase of actuation voltage to 3.25 kV decreased the emission wavelength from 604 nm to 557 nm, a change of 47 nm or 7.8%.

Electrical breakdown due to electro-mechanical instability is the main intrinsic failure mechanism of dielectric elastomer actuators (DEA). The same mechanism may also be responsible for failure in soft insulating materials for other high voltage applications. We report on the validation of a model determining the electrical breakdown in dependence of material properties. The model includes hyper-elastic material behavior and includes a proper description of the experimental boundary condition.

This Letter reports on new methods and a consistent model for voltage tunable optical transmission gratings. Elastomeric gratings were molded from holographically written surface relief gratings in an azobenzene sol-gel material. These were placed on top of a transparent electroactive elastomeric substrate. Two different electro-active substrate elastomers were employed, with a large range of prestretches. A novel finite-deformation theory was found to match the device response excellently, without fitting parameters. The results clearly show that the grating underwent pure-shear deformation, and more surprisingly, that the mechanical properties of the electro-active substrate did not affect device actuation.