3D Printing of Electrically Responsive PVC Gel Actuator

Additive manufacturing of electrically responsive soft actuators is greatly desired for designing and constructing novel soft machines. However, there are very limited options for 3D printable and electrically responsive soft materials. Recently we have developed a strategy of 3D printing polyvinyl chloride (PVC) gel actuators that are electrically controllable. We print a jellyfish-like actuator from PVC ink which can deform rapidly and reversibly with an applied voltage. With the multi-material 3D printing technique, we further demonstrate a soft actuator with a stiffness gradient that can generate undulatory motion. As a proof-of-concept demonstration, we show that a 3D printed PVC gel-based smart window can change its transparency upon the application of voltage. Some simulations of the PVC gel actuation will also be discussed. We hope our work can provide a facile way to fabricate electric field-responsive soft actuators with multiple actuation modes and expand their potential applications in diverse engineering fields.