Scalable and Robust Liquid Crystal Elastomer Composite Yarn Actuators with Multistimulus Response Actuation...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Science
• Robotics Engineering

Background:

• Liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) fibers are promising for soft robotics and wearables due to stimulus-responsive motion.
• Conventional LCE fibers suffer from poor mechanical robustness and limited response patterns.
• There is a need for advanced LCE actuators with improved strength and multi-stimulus capabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fabricate a novel LCE composite yarn actuator with enhanced mechanical properties and multistimulus response.
• To integrate textile processing technologies with dry spinning and twisting for actuator fabrication.
• To demonstrate the potential of the developed actuator in smart fabrics and flexible electronic systems.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of LCE composite yarn actuators by combining dry spinning with textile twisting.
• Characterization of actuator properties including size, breaking strength, response deformation, and stability.
• Development of a smart fabric by integrating the actuator with textile processing.

Main Results:

• Achieved a uniform fiber size (360 ± 10 μm) and remarkable breaking strength (199.2 MPa).
• Demonstrated rapid, stable response deformation (35% within 6.5s) and solved the creep problem.
• Successfully developed a smart fabric with multifaceted thermal, optical, and electrical stimulus response.

Conclusions:

• The novel LCE composite yarn actuator exhibits superior mechanical strength and multistimulus response.
• The developed smart fabric offers precise manipulation and sustained stability for advanced applications.
• This work presents a promising platform for soft robotics, wearable technologies, and flexible electronics.