Machines designed for operation in Space, as well as other extreme environments, need to be both resilient and adaptable when mission parameters change. Soft robots offer advantages in adaptability, but most lack resilience to the pressure and temperature extremes found as close as the Stratosphere. Dielectric elastomer actuators overcome some of those limitations when built as solid state compliant capacitors capable of converting electrical energy into mechanical work, but the elastomer resilience limits the device's operating window. Here we present a crosslinking mechanism for silicone elastomers under ultraviolet light using trimethyl(methylcyclopentadienyl)platinum(IV) as a catalyst to react hydrosilane to vinyl groups. The formation of carbon-carbon bonds enables fast processing under UV light and exceptional electro-mechanical performance in dielectric elastomer actuators. The material resilience advantage is demonstrated in controlled experiments at -40° and 120° C, as well as near vacuum, in comparison with state-of-the-art acrylic and silicone chemistries. Fully autonomous systems controlling grippers made with the novel silicone were integrated into payloads for high altitude balloon testing. Two stratospheric balloon missions were carried out and demonstrated DEAs as a viable soft robotic technology under space-like conditions (as high as 23.6 km elevation, at <0.05 atm and -55° C). The combinations of chemical building blocks and catalyst can be further expanded to address other challenges for silicones, including adhesion and additive manufacturing.

翻译：为太空及其他极端环境设计的机器在任务参数变化时需兼具韧性与适应性。软体机器人在适应性方面具有优势，但多数缺乏对平流层等环境中极端压力与温度的耐受能力。介电弹性体驱动器通过构建能够将电能转化为机械功的固态柔性电容器，克服了部分限制，但弹性体的耐受性仍制约着器件的工作范围。本文提出一种在紫外光下使用三甲基(甲基环戊二烯基)铂(IV)作为催化剂，使氢硅烷与乙烯基发生反应的硅橡胶交联机制。碳-碳键的形成实现了紫外光下的快速加工，并使介电弹性体驱动器获得卓越的机电性能。通过与最先进的丙烯酸及硅橡胶化学体系对比，在-40°C、120°C及近真空条件下的受控实验验证了该材料的耐受性优势。采用新型硅橡胶制备的夹持器与全自主控制系统集成，进行了高空气球测试载荷实验。两次平流层气球任务成功实施，证明了介电弹性体驱动器在类太空条件下（最高海拔23.6公里，气压<0.05标准大气压，温度-55°C）可作为可行的软体机器人技术。该化学结构单元与催化剂的组合体系可进一步拓展，以解决硅橡胶的其他挑战，包括粘接性能与增材制造适应性。