Fluorinated Acrylate Dielectric Elastomers with Low-Voltage Large Actuation Enabled by Cross-Linking Network Regulation

Polyacrylate dielectroelastomers are recognized as promising materials for soft actuators owing to their excellent stretchability, high dielectric constant, and pronounced electrostrictive properties. However, their practical application is still constrained by the need for high driving voltages (>100 MV/m) and relatively modest dielectric constants. In this work, we achieve synergistic enhancement of dielectric properties and stress–strain behavior through molecular design and tailored cross-linking network regulation, yielding acrylic dielectric elastomers capable of large strain actuation at low voltages. Specifically, fluorinated side-chain acrylic esters were employed as polymerization monomers and flexible macromolecular chains as cross-linking agents. In contrast to the complex components and structures described in previous reports, this paper demonstrates that by simply optimizing the cross-linked network structure through adjustment of the component ratios, UV-cured acrylic dielectric elastomers can achieve a dielectric constant of 7.26 @ 1 kHz and a driving strain of 148% @ 50 MV/m. These findings demonstrate that structural regulation based on chemical composition represents an effective strategy for improving the comprehensive performance of acrylic dielectric elastomers, offering important insights for broadening their applications in soft actuators.