Dielectrophoresis force and deflection of electroactive poly(p-phenylene vinylene)/polydimethylsiloxane blends

The effects of poly(p-phenylene vinylene) volume fraction and electric field strength on the electromechanical properties and the deflection of poly(p-phenylene vinylene)/polydimethylsiloxane (PPV/PDMS) blend gels were investigated experimentally. The electromechanical properties of the PPV/PDMS blends were measured under oscillatory shear mode at a temperature of 27 °C. On application of an electric field, the storage modulus response, G', increases between 7 and 50%, depending on the PPV volume fraction, as the electric field strength is varied between 0 and 2 kV mm−1. The stress generated is caused by the induced polarized PPV particles leading to interparticle interactions. With an external electric field applied, the PPV/PDMS films, suspended in silicone oil between copper electrodes, respond with significant and rapid deflections toward the anode, indicating the attractive interaction between the anode and the polarized PPV particles embedded in the PDMS network. As the electric field is removed, the PPV/PDMS films nearly recover their original positions and shapes due to the gravitational force, elasticity, and the reversibility of the polarized PPV particles. Thus, our PPV/PDMS system is a reversible bending system, consistent with the G' temporal response results. From the deformation data, the dielectrophoresis force, FD, and the degree of deflection vary linearly with the electric field