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Microfluidic Preparation of Liquid Crystalline Elastomer Actuators

Microfluidic Preparation of Liquid Crystalline Elastomer Actuators

Published on: May 20, 2018

Liquid-Crystalline Soft Actuators with Switchable Thermal Reprogrammability.

Yahe Wu¹, Yang Yang¹, Xiaojie Qian¹

¹The Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.

Angewandte Chemie (International Ed. in English)

|January 7, 2020

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers developed a strategy to switch thermal reprogrammability on and off in liquid-crystalline elastomer (LCE) actuators. This allows for on-demand 3D shape changes while maintaining high-temperature actuation stability for advanced soft robots.

Keywords:

dynamic siloxane exchange elastomers liquid crystals soft actuators switchable thermal reprogrammability

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Area of Science:

Materials Science
Polymer Chemistry
Robotics

Background:

Soft actuators are crucial for next-generation robotics, but thermal reprogrammability often compromises actuation performance.
A key challenge is balancing thermal adaptability with robust mechanical stability in soft actuator design.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop a novel strategy for liquid-crystalline elastomer (LCE) actuators that enables switchable thermal reprogrammability.
To overcome the trade-off between shape-memory capabilities and high-temperature actuation stability.

Main Methods:

Inducing a latent siloxane exchange reaction via post-synthesis swelling in LCEs to enable reprogramming (switching 'on').
Utilizing thermal treatment to deactivate the dynamic network (switching 'off'), ensuring actuation stability at elevated temperatures (up to 180°C).
Employing selective patterning (e.g., black ink) to control reprogrammability in specific regions of the LCE actuator.

Main Results:

Demonstrated the ability to repeatedly switch thermal reprogrammability on and off in LCE actuators.
Achieved stable actuation performance at high temperatures (180°C) by switching off the dynamic network.
Successfully integrated multiple, distinct actuation modes within a single monolithic actuator through selective reprogramming control.

Conclusions:

The developed strategy effectively resolves the conflict between thermal reprogrammability and actuation stability in LCE actuators.
This approach allows for the creation of robust, thermally adaptable soft actuators with on-demand 3D shape-forming capabilities.
The ability to integrate diverse actuation modes opens possibilities for more sophisticated and complex tasks in soft robotics.