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Microfluidic Preparation of Liquid Crystalline Elastomer Actuators

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Electrothermally Addressable Liquid Crystal Elastomer Microactuator Arrays with Integrated Microheaters.

Ke Li¹, Jayer Fernandes¹, Jae-Jun Kim¹

¹Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA.

Sensors and Actuators. A, Physical

|July 15, 2026

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We developed an electrothermal system for liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) microactuation using integrated microheaters. This enables localized, electrically controlled deformation for scalable soft microsystems.

Area of Science:

Materials Science
Microengineering
Soft Robotics

Background:

Liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) offer significant potential for microscale actuation due to their large, programmable deformations.
Realizing practical LCE microsystems is hindered by fabrication challenges and the need for localized, electrically addressable actuation.

Purpose of the Study:

To present a novel electrothermal LCE microactuation system.
To demonstrate localized, electrically controlled actuation for LCE-based microsystems.

Main Methods:

Lithographically integrated tungsten (W) microheaters were fabricated beneath surface-aligned LCE microactuators.
A column-addressable architecture and resistance-based calibration were employed for precise control.
Finite-element electrothermal modeling was used to estimate local LCE temperatures.

Keywords:

Liquid crystal elastomer addressable actuators electrothermal actuation microfabrication microheater array soft microsystems

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Last Updated: Jul 16, 2026

Microfluidic Preparation of Liquid Crystalline Elastomer Actuators

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Published on: May 20, 2018

Microfluidic Chips Controlled with Elastomeric Microvalve Arrays

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Published on: October 1, 2007

Free-form Light Actuators — Fabrication and Control of Actuation in Microscopic Scale

Free-form Light Actuators — Fabrication and Control of Actuation in Microscopic Scale

Published on: May 25, 2016

Main Results:

The system achieved selective actuation (elongation, contraction, bending, twisting) of LCE microactuators.
Actuation strains up to ~25% were observed at 8 V with minimal thermal crosstalk (<4% strain in adjacent areas).
The electrothermal system demonstrated localized activation, overcoming limitations of optical stimulation.

Conclusions:

The developed electrothermal LCE microactuation system is feasible for practical applications.
This work provides a foundation for scalable, integrated soft microsystems.
Localized electrical control of LCEs is achieved, paving the way for advanced microdevices.