POS5-0764
A Relaxor Ferroelectric Thermoplastic Elastomer for High-Performance Electroadhesion on Diverse Surfaces
When and Where
Nov 30, -0001
00:00 - 00:00
Presenter(s)
Dongjun Lee (Sogang University)
Co-Author(s)
Abstract
Electroadhesion (EA) enables electrically switchable, on-demand attachment to diverse surfaces, offering unique advantages for industrial pick-and-place handling, programmable-stiffness clutches, and adaptive gripping in automated manufacturing. EA performance depends strongly on the permittivity of the dielectric layer, making fluorinated terpolymers such as P(VDF-TrFE-CFE) central to the field. However, their semi-crystalline, ductile nature prevents conformal contact on rough or curved substrates, rendering fluorinated terpolymer-based EA on diverse surfaces limited and largely unsuccessful. Herein, we report a high-permittivity fluoroterpolymer thermoplastic elastomer (high-k TPE) for high-performance EA by grafting poly(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl acrylate) (PTFEA) onto P(VDF-TrFE-CFE). Photo-induced atom transfer radical polymerization (photo-ATRP) enables clean and controlled grafting of PTFEA, transforming the ductile parent terpolymer into an elastomer while preserving the relaxor ferroelectric behavior that underlies its high room-temperature dielectric permittivity. The elastic, low-modulus nature of P(VDF-TrFE-CFE)-g-PTFEA enables conformal contact across smooth, rough, conductive, and nonconductive surfaces, thereby delivering markedly enhanced EA performance. Owing to its thermoplastic character, the material is also amenable to large-area, scalable processing, making it a practical platform for next-generation electroadhesives.
