Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 1, 2026
Microfluidic Preparation of Liquid Crystalline Elastomer Actuators
Published on: May 20, 2018
Smart Muscle-Driven Self-Cleaning of Biomimetic Microstructures from Liquid Crystal Elastomers
Hamed Shahsavan1,2, Seyyed Muhammad Salili2, Antal Jákli2
1Department of Chemical Engineering, Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, Institute for Polymer Research, and Centre for Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada.
Abstract:
Muscle-driven actuation of biomimetic microfibrillar structures is achieved using integrative soft-lithography on a backing splayed liquid-crystal elastomer (LCE). Variation in the backing LCE layer thickness yields different modes of thermal deformation from a pure bend to a twist-bend. Muscular motion and dynamic self-cleaning of gecko toe pads are mimicked via this mechanism.
