The area of allowable states in Mooney-Rivlin type dielectric elastomer generators

Dielectric elastomer(DE) could be used in generator design and fabrication, which has been verified by experiments. The function principle of DE generator is contrary to that of DE actuator. By imposing a low voltage to the dielectric elastomer membrane, electric charges are accumulated on the two surfaces. Then we apply mechanical force to the sides of the membrane to produce pre-stretch, and the thickness of the membrane becomes thinner and the capacitance increases, where mechanical energy is converted to elastic energy. After the mechanical force being withdrawn, because of elasticity, the thickness of membrane increases while the capacitance decreases, and elastic energy is converted to electrical energy. This is a work cycle of conversion from elastic to electric energy. Researchers have always been expecting to find a model that can well predict and evaluate the performance of dielectric elastomer generator. Suo et al. proposed the typical failure model of neo-Hooken type dielectric elastomer generator and calculates the maximal energy converted in a mechanical and electrical cycle. In this paper, we demonstrate the area of allowable states of various Mooney-Rivlin type dielectric elastomer generators, which can be employed to direct the design and fabrication of Mooney-Rivlin silicone generator, and the results coincide with Suo's theory.