Large area expansion of a soft dielectric membrane triggered by a liquid gaseous phase change

Soft dielectric membranes are easily deformed by external stimuli. Large area expansions are known in dielectric elastomer actuators, where the deformation is triggered by an applied electric field. Here we show large deformations of a soft elastomer membrane using the phase transition of an encapsulated liquid from the liquid to the gaseous state. The voltage required for actuating the soft membrane is only 10 V, as compared to 1000 V typically used in dielectric elastomer actuators. We report an area expansion of 120%, with large blocking forces from 1 to 6 N for 9 mm wide and 80 μm thick membranes. The proposed actuator concept is prone to miniaturization.