Electrostatic Adhesion Clutch with Superhigh Force Density Achieved by MXene-Poly(Vinylidene Fluoride-Trifluoroethylene-Chlorotrifluoroethylene) Composites

Daiyue Wei; Quan Xiong; Jiufeng Dong; Huacen Wang; Xuanquan Liang; Shiyu Tang; Xinwei Xu; Hongqiang Wang; Hong Wang

doi:10.1089/soro.2022.0013

Electrostatic Adhesion Clutch with Superhigh Force Density Achieved by MXene-Poly(Vinylidene Fluoride-Trifluoroethylene-Chlorotrifluoroethylene) Composites

Soft Robot. 2023 Jun;10(3):482-492. doi: 10.1089/soro.2022.0013. Epub 2022 Nov 1.

Authors

Daiyue Wei^{1

2}, Quan Xiong^{1

2}, Jiufeng Dong^{3

4}, Huacen Wang^{1

2}, Xuanquan Liang^{1

2}, Shiyu Tang^{1

2}, Xinwei Xu³, Hongqiang Wang^{1

2

5}, Hong Wang³

Affiliations

¹ Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, China.
² Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Biomimetic Robotics and Intelligent Systems, Department of Mechanical and Energy Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China.
³ Shenzhen Engineering Research Center for Novel Electronic Information Materials and Devices, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China.
⁴ State Key Laboratory for Mechanical Behavior of Materials, School of Electronic and Information Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China.
⁵ Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Human-Augmentation and Rehabilitation Robotics in Universities, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China.

PMID: 36318822
DOI: 10.1089/soro.2022.0013

Abstract

Electrostatic adhesion (EA) clutches are widely applied in robots, wearable devices, and virtual reality, due to their compliance, lightweight, ultrathin profile, and low power consumption. Higher force density has been constantly perpetuated in the past decades since EA was initially proposed. In this study, by composing terpolymer poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene-chlorotrifluoroethylene) [P(VDF-TrFE-CTFE)] and two-dimensional Ti₃C₂T_x nanosheets (MXene), nanocomposite films with high dielectric constant ( $δ_{r}^{'}$ > 2300) and low loss tangent are achieved. The force representative index $δ_{r}^{'} E_{b d}^{2}$ (the relative dielectric constant times the square of breakdown electric field) is enhanced by 5.91 times due to the charge accumulation at matrix-filler interfaces. Superhigh shear stress (85.61 N cm^-2) is generated, 408% higher than the previous maximum value. One of the EA clutches fabricated in this study is only 160 μm thin and 0.4 g heavy. Owing to the low current (<1 μA), the power consumption is <60 mW/cm². It can hold a 2.5 kg weight by only 0.32 cm² area and support an adult (45 kg) (Clinical Trial Registration number: 20210090). With this technology, a dexterous robotic hand is displayed to grasp and release a ball, showing extensive applications of this technique.

Keywords: MXene; P(VDF-TrFE-CTFE); composites; electrostatic adhesion; high-force density.

MeSH terms

Robotics*
Static Electricity*

Substances

1,1-difluoroethylene
chlorotrifluoroethylene
MXene
polyvinylidene fluoride
trifluoroethene