Additive manufacturing of electrically responsive soft actuators is of great importance in designing and constructing novel soft robots and soft machines. However, there are very limited options for 3D-printable and electrically responsive soft materials. Herein, we report a strategy of 3D printing polyvinyl chloride (PVC) gel actuators that are electrically controllable. We print a jellyfish-like actuator from PVC ink, which can achieve 130° bending in less than 5 s. With the multi-material 3D printing technique, we have further printed a soft actuator with a stiffness gradient that can generate undulatory motion. As a proof-of-concept demonstration, we show that a 3D-printed PVC gel-based smart window can change its transparency upon the application of voltage. The 3D printing strategy developed in this article may expand the potential applications of electrically responsive soft materials in diverse engineering fields.
Keywords: 3D printing; PVC gel; electrically responsive materials; soft actuators; soft robotics.