  In this paper we describe a stretchable solid-state electronic switching
material that operates at high voltage potentials, as well as a switch material
benchmarking technique that utilizes a modular dielectric elastomer (artificial
muscle) ring oscillator. The solid-state switching material was integrated into
our oscillator, which self-started after 16s and performed 5 oscillations at a
frequency of 1.05Hz with 3.25kV DC input. Our materials-by-design approach for
the nickel filled polydimethysiloxane (Ni-PDMS) based switch has resulted in
significant improvements over previous carbon-grease based switches in four key
areas, namely sharpness of switching behavior upon applied stretch, magnitude
of electrical resistance change, ease of manufacture, and rate of production.
Switch lifetime was demonstrated to be in the range of tens to hundreds of
cycles with the current process. An interesting and potentially useful
strain-based switching hysteresis behavior is also presented.
