Self-Powered and Self-Healable Extraocular-Muscle-Like Actuator Based on Dielectric Elastomer Actuator and Triboelectric Nanogenerator.

Although dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) are promising artificial muscles for use as visual prostheses in patients with permanent oculomotor nerve palsy (ONP), high driving voltage coupled with the vulnerable compliant electrodes coated on the dielectric elastomers limits their safe long-term service. Herein, a self-healable polydimethylsiloxane compliant electrode based on reversible imine bonds and hydrogen bonds was prepared and coated on both sides of an acrylic ester film to develop a self-healable DEA (SDEA), followed by actuation with a high-output triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) to construct a self-powered DEA (TENG-SDEA). Under 135.9 kV/mm, the self-powered SDEA exhibited an elevated actuated strain of 50.6%, comparable to the actuation of SDEA under DC power. Moreover, the mechanically damaged TENG-SDEA displayed a high self-healing efficiency of over 90% after self-healing for 3 h at room temperature for 10 cycles. A low electric current of TENG ensuring the safe using of TENG-SDEAs and an extraocular-muscle-like actuator with oriented motion ability integrated by several TENG-SDEAs was constructed. Additionally, the SDEA was directly used as a flexible capacitive sensor for real-time monitoring of the patient's muscle movement. Accordingly, a medical aid system based on a conjunction of the extraocular-muscle-like actuator and flexible capacitive sensor was manufactured to helped the patients suffering from permanent ONP with disease control and prevention, as well as serve in physical rehabilitation and treatment. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.