Influence of genetically modified proteins on the electro-mechanical properties of silicone elastomers

Florina-Elena Comanici; Anne L. Skov

doi:10.1117/12.3009890

10 May 2024 Influence of genetically modified proteins on the electro-mechanical properties of silicone elastomers

Florina-Elena Comanici, Anne L. Skov

Proceedings Volume PC12945, Electroactive Polymer Actuators and Devices (EAPAD) XXVI; PC129450H (2024) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3009890
Event: SPIE Smart Structures + Nondestructive Evaluation, 2024, Long Beach, California, United States

Conference Poster

Abstract

Among the soft elastomers used for dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs), silicone elastomers have excelled due to their high elasticity, robustness, and biocompatibility. However, silicone elastomers have a low dielectric constant and require the use of high voltages, which might not be considered safe in wearable applications. In this work, we propose the incorporation of biologically tailored materials in silicone elastomers to improve the dielectric properties and provide mechanical stability. The amyloid proteins are semicrystalline and, thus, offer a biologically derived and biocompatible analog to the synthetic polymer dielectrics traditionally used in high electric field environments. It has been proven before that the crystallinity and orientation of the proteins can be used to tailor the breakdown strength (200-400 V/µm for fibroin protein). Our approach uses genetically engineered proteins, which display a small peptide/protein domain and thereby the dielectric properties can easily be modulated.

(2024) Published by SPIE. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Citation Download Citation

Florina-Elena Comanici and Anne L. Skov "Influence of genetically modified proteins on the electro-mechanical properties of silicone elastomers", Proc. SPIE PC12945, Electroactive Polymer Actuators and Devices (EAPAD) XXVI, PC129450H (10 May 2024); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3009890

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