Stretchable, transparent, high-pressure electrohydrodynamic pumps with ionic conductors for soft fluidic systems

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.