Deep eutectic solvent inclusions for high-k composite dielectric elastomers

Recent advances in novel electroactive devices have placed new requirements on material development. High-performance dielectric elastomers with good mechanical stretchability and high dielectric constant are under high demand. However, the current strategy for fabricating these materials suffers from high cost or low thermal stability, which greatly hinders large-scale industrial production. Herein, we have successfully developed a novel strategy for improving the dielectric constant of polymeric elastomers via deep eutectic solvent inclusion by taking advantage of the low cost, convenient and environmentally benign synthesis process and high ionic conductivity from deep eutectic solvents. The as-prepared composite elastomers showed good stretchability and a greatly enhanced dielectric constant with a negligible increase in dielectric dissipation. Moreover, we have proven the universality of our strategy by using different types of deep eutectic solvents. It is believed that low-cost, easy-synthesis and environmentally friendly deep eutectic solvents including composite elastomers are highly suitable for large-scale industrial production and can greatly broaden the application fields of dielectric elastomers.