Implementation of an Electrostatic Device for Investigation of Electric Fields on Cells
Dielectric Elastomer Actuators (DEAs) have a wide range of applications. They can be widely used in research to study cells under mechanical movement or stress. This is done by culturing the cells in vitro on the DEA and observing, under the microscope, the morphological and the numerous other important changes they are experiencing. However, in order to make sure that the effects observed on the cells are in fact from the mechanical stimuli alone, no other factors should be influencing the cells. Therefore we want to study the effects of other physical phenomenons on the cells, most importantly electric fields. Electric fields are known to have many different effects on cells. Since typically a voltage of 6 kV is applied on the electrodes of a DEA, there might be significant leakages that can affect or even kill the cells. In this project a DEA is modified in order to study the effects of electric field leakages on cells without the mechanical stimulation. To do so, the elastic dielectric material of the DEA is replaced with alternative rigid materials like Kapton or Polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Simulations are conducted to test the devices' electrical and mechanical properties. The devices are then fabricated and characterised. This report will allow further studies on cells using DEAs, potentially facilitating their use in the medical field.
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