Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 1, 2025
Free-form Light Actuators — Fabrication and Control of Actuation in Microscopic Scale
Published on: May 25, 2016
Triple-Shape-Memory Soft Actuators from an Interpenetrating Network of Hybrid Liquid Crystals
Davey C Hoekstra1,2, Michael G Debije1, Albert P H J Schenning1,2
1Laboratory of Stimuli-responsive Functional Materials and Devices, Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry, Eindhoven University of Technology, Groene Loper 3, 5612 AE Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
Abstract:
In this work, the formation of triple-shape-memory liquid crystalline-interpenetrating polymer network (LC-IPN) actuators based on a hybrid acrylate-oxetane LC mixture is reported. Orthogonal polymerization of the oxetane and acrylate liquid crystals creates polymer films with two distinct glass-transition temperatures. The use of these two transitions for one-way triple-shape-memory actuation and two-way bending actuation with a broad temperature window for actuation is demonstrated. Our results combine shape memory polymers with liquid crystal-based soft actuators having advanced stimuli-responsive properties.
