Investigating void development in filled elastomers under uniaxial strain

POSTER

Abstract

Development of voids during cyclic, uniaxial extension and retraction, of both silica and resin filled elastomers, was studied by combining synchrotron-based time resolved small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and primary X-ray beam attenuation with stress-strain curves measured simultaneously. These data were used to calculate the volumetric strain due to the development of voids during extension and their subsequent disappearance during retraction as well as the size and shape of the smaller voids. Four samples were investigated, one silica-filled polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), one resin filled PDMS, and two silica filled polyphenylmethylsiloxane (PPMS), all candidate materials for dielectric elastomer actuators, in which void development would lead to decreased dielectric breakdown electric fields and premature failure.

Authors

  • Ailish O'Halloran

    • National University of Ireland Galway

  • Arthur Scholz

    • Materials Department, UCSB
    • University of California Santa Barbara

  • Kristin Schmidt

    • Univeristy of California Santa Barbara

  • Lixia Rong

    • Department of Chemistry, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3400
    • Brookhaven National Laboratory

  • Shigeyuki Toki

    • Stony Brook University

  • Benjamin Hsiao

    • Department of Chemistry, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3400
    • Stony Brook University

  • Ed Kramer

    • UCSB - MC CAM
    • Department of Materials and Chemical Engineering, University of California Santa Barbara
    • University of California, Santa Barbara
    • Mitsubishi Chemicals-Center for Advanced Materials, Materials Research Laboratory, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106
    • UCSB
    • Materials Research Laboratory, University of California, Santa Barbara
    • Materials Department, UCSB
    • University of California Santa Barbara