Stretchable, transparent, high-pressure electrohydrodynamic pumps with ionic conductors for soft fluidic systems
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Soft fluidic actuators and robotics have been widely developed due to their excellent flexibility and strong load capacity. However, stretchable pumps, which serves as a core element to produce pressurized fluidic energy for the soft and integrated systems, remain restricted in their mechanical compliance and output pressures. Here, we report electrohydrodynamic pumps based on solid-state ionic conductors, which contribute a new charge injection mechanism to significantly improve the fluid pumping. The pump with a thickness of 1.1 millimeters and a weight of 4 grams, maintains robust functionality under 200% stretching strain, achieves a high transparency of over 80%, and generates a max blocking pressure of 71 kilopascals. Integrations of the pump with actuation and microfluidic systems are further demonstrated, highlighting its promising applications in electro-fluidic hybrid systems, stretchable actuations, and soft camouflaging robotics.