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Multimodal and Multistimuli 4D-Printed Magnetic Composite Liquid Crystal Elastomer Actuators
Erick R Espíndola-Pérez1, Javier Campo1, Carlos Sánchez-Somolinos1,2
1Departamento de Física de la Materia Condensada, Instituto de Nanociencia y Materiales de Aragón (INMA), CSIC-Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza 50009, Spain.
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|December 27, 2023
Summary
Researchers developed a novel magnetically active liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) composite using 4D printing. This material offers fast, programmable shape changes in response to heat and magnetic fields, overcoming limitations of traditional LCE actuators.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Soft Robotics
- Polymer Chemistry
Background:
- Liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) exhibit significant shape-changing abilities when exposed to thermal or light stimuli.
- The slow response of LCE actuators compared to soft magnetic materials limits their practical applications.
- Previous attempts to integrate magnetic responsiveness into LCEs often compromised actuator performance due to high filler concentrations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a multistimuli, magnetically active LCE (MLCE) composite with programmable and multimodal actuation capabilities.
- To overcome the limitations of conventional LCE actuators in terms of response speed and precision.
- To enable novel actuation modes by combining thermal and magnetic stimuli.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of MLCE composite via extrusion-based 4D printing.
- Achieving digital control over mesogen orientation within the LCE matrix, even at a 1:1 (LCE:MMPs) weight ratio.
- Investigating the actuation response to thermal and magnetic stimuli, both independently and in combination.
Main Results:
- The 4D printed MLCE actuators demonstrate significant thermal deformation and rapid magnetic field response.
- Multimodal actuation is achieved by combining thermal and magnetic stimuli, enabling complex shape reconfigurations.
- The MLCE composite maintains performance at high magnetic microparticle (MMP) concentrations, a significant improvement over prior methods.
Conclusions:
- The developed MLCE composite offers enhanced speed, precision, and programmability for soft actuators.
- Multistimuli actuation expands the applicability of LCEs in areas where single-stimulus actuators are insufficient.
- The technology has potential applications, demonstrated by the development of a beam-steering device.
