Stability of dielectric elastomer/carbon nanotube composites coupling electrostriction and polarization

Experiments are conducted to test the permittivity of dielectric elastomer composites adulterated with multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT). The results show that the permittivity of dielectric elastomer composites can be significantly improved by adding MWCNT conductive particles. A thermodynamic model is presented to investigate the stability of MWCNT particle-doped dielectric elastomer composites. The theoretical investigation proves that the polarization of MWCNT, the electrostriction deformation and material constants of the elastomer significantly affect the stability of the thermodynamic system. The numerical analysis shows that comparing to ideal dielectric elastomer, the stability of dielectric elastomer composites filled with MWCNT coupling between electrostriction and polarization can be significantly enhanced.