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Preparation of Monodomain Liquid Crystal Elastomers and Liquid Crystal Elastomer Nanocomposites
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4D-Printable Liquid Metal-Liquid Crystal Elastomer Composites.

Cedric P Ambulo1, Michael J Ford2, Kyle Searles1

  • 1Department of Bioengineering, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75080, United States.

ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|December 28, 2020
PubMed
Summary

Researchers developed a 4D-printable composite using liquid crystal elastomer and liquid metal droplets for soft actuators. This composite enables programmable shape change via photothermal or electrothermal actuation, maintaining material compliance.

Keywords:
4D printingdirect ink write printingliquid crystal elastomerliquid metalsoft actuator

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Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Robotics
  • Soft Matter Physics

Background:

  • Soft actuators are crucial for soft robots but often limited by rigid conductive components.
  • Existing power strategies for soft actuators can compromise their inherent compliance and shape-changing capabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a 4D-printable composite for soft actuators that retains compliance while enabling photothermal and electrothermal actuation.
  • To investigate the use of deformable liquid metal droplets as conductive fillers in liquid crystal elastomers.

Main Methods:

  • Fabrication of a composite material using a liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) matrix with dispersed eutectic gallium indium (EGaIn) alloy droplets.
  • Utilizing 4D printing to create actuators with specific configurations, including twisted nematic structures.
  • Spatially varying the liquid metal filler loading for multi-material printing and creating monolithic structures.

Main Results:

  • The composite exhibits photothermal actuation with bending angles up to 150° upon near-IR irradiation at low liquid metal concentrations.
  • At higher concentrations, liquid metal forms conductive networks enabling electrothermal actuation with strain from 5-12% controlled by electrical power.
  • Multi-material printing allows for actuators that function as electrical switches, reporting on/off states.

Conclusions:

  • Deformable liquid metal droplets in LCEs preserve actuator compliance and enable dual photothermal and electrothermal responsiveness.
  • 4D-printable, multiresponsive composites offer a pathway to mechanically active structures powered by light or electricity.
  • This approach facilitates the creation of multifunctional soft machines with integrated sensing and actuation.