Transparent soft actuators have been receiving enormous attention due to their potential for application in camouflage robotics, accurate monitoring/controlling of soft robots, etc. Herein, we report an electrically powered soft actuator relying on reversible nematic-to-isotropic transitions of liquid crystalline elastomers (LCEs) induced by Joule heating with silver nanowires (AgNWs). Taking advantage of the high conductivity and transparency of the AgNWs electro-heater, the assembled soft actuator can attain high transmittance (60–70%) in the visible region. It exhibits a large bending deformation upon the application of a low voltage of 6 V within 20 s, and returns to its original state when withdrawing the voltage. In addition, the degree of bending can be controlled by the voltage applied and application time of the electric field. The LCE-based transparent soft actuators with low voltage switching are particularly promising for application in smart soft robots with optical components.

中文翻译：

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具有银纳米线焦耳加热器的透明低压驱动软致动器

透明软执行器因其在伪装机器人、软机器人的精确监测/控制等方面的应用潜力而受到广泛关注。. 在此，我们报告了一种电动软致动器，它依赖于由银纳米线 (AgNW) 焦耳加热引起的液晶弹性体 (LCE) 的可逆向列到各向同性转变。利用 AgNWs 电加热器的高导电性和透明度，组装的软致动器可以在可见光区获得高透射率（60-70%）。在 20 s 内施加 6 V 的低电压时，它表现出较大的弯曲变形，并在撤回电压时恢复到原始状态。此外，弯曲程度可以通过施加的电压和电场的施加时间来控制。基于 LCE 的具有低电压开关的透明软执行器特别有希望应用于带有光学元件的智能软机器人。