Transparent Electrodes for Dielectric Elastomer Actuators

Mechanobiology is an emerging field that investigates the influence of mechanical forces on cell behavior and disease progression. Cells and tissues experience various mechanical stimuli in their natural environment, such as stretching and contracting, which can affect their migration, proliferation, orientation, and gene expression. However, studying these mechanical stimuli in vitro presents a challenge due to the limitations of conventional cell culture methods in replicating such forces. This project focuses on developing transparent electrodes for a planar Dielectric Elastomers Actuator used to stimulate and observe bladder cells. Transparent electrodes overcome the limitations of conventional electrodes by enabling optical observation of cell behavior. The study investigates the properties of the developed silver and carbon black electrodes, including transparency and resistance. The results reveal a percolation threshold for carbon black and silver concentration in the electrodes, beyond which conductivity does not significantly increase. The addition of isopropanol and pre-stretching processes improve transparency. The findings contribute to optimizing electrode design for balancing resistance and transparency. However, a transparency level of 16% may limit visual observation of cells under an optical microscope.