Thermomechanically active electrodes power work-dense soft actuators

Soft Matter ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angel Martinez ◽  
Arul Clement ◽  
Junfeng Gao ◽  
Julia Kocherzat ◽  
Mohsen Tabrizi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Crystal ◽  
Liquid Metal ◽  
Chain Extender ◽  
Design Work ◽  
Liquid Crystal Elastomers ◽  
Soft Actuators ◽  
Dense Liquid

The effect of chain extender structure and composition on the properties of liquid crystal elastomers (LCE) is presented. Compositions are optimized to design work-dense liquid metal LCE composites that are operated with 100 mW power.

scholarly journals Soft actuators using liquid crystal elastomers with encapsulated liquid metal joule heaters

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 025003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teresa A Kent ◽  
Michael J Ford ◽  
Eric J Markvicka ◽  
Carmel Majidi
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Crystal ◽  
Liquid Metal ◽  
Liquid Crystal Elastomers ◽  
Soft Actuators

3D printed reversible shape changing soft actuators assisted by liquid crystal elastomers

Soft Matter ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (33) ◽  
pp. 5558-5568 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chao Yuan ◽  
Devin J. Roach ◽  
Conner K. Dunn ◽  
Quanyi Mu ◽  
Xiao Kuang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Crystal ◽  
3D Printing ◽  
3D Printed ◽  
Liquid Crystal Elastomers ◽  
Soft Actuators

We fabricate reversible shape changing soft actuators based on the hybrid 3D printing concept.

scholarly journals Monolithic shape-programmable dielectric liquid crystal elastomer actuators

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (11) ◽  
pp. eaay0855 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zoey S. Davidson ◽  
Hamed Shahsavan ◽  
Amirreza Aghakhani ◽  
Yubing Guo ◽  
Lindsey Hines ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Crystal ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Degrees Of Freedom ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Elastic Anisotropy ◽  
Active Material ◽  
Soft Robotics ◽  
Liquid Crystal Elastomer ◽  
Liquid Crystal Elastomers ◽  
Soft Actuators

Soft robotics may enable many new technologies in which humans and robots physically interact, yet the necessary high-performance soft actuators still do not exist. The optimal soft actuators need to be fast and forceful and have programmable shape changes. Furthermore, they should be energy efficient for untethered applications and easy to fabricate. Here, we combine desirable characteristics from two distinct active material systems: fast and highly efficient actuation from dielectric elastomers and directed shape programmability from liquid crystal elastomers. Via a top-down photoalignment method, we program molecular alignment and localized giant elastic anisotropy into the liquid crystal elastomers. The linearly actuated liquid crystal elastomer monoliths achieve strain rates over 120% per second with an energy conversion efficiency of 20% while moving loads over 700 times the elastomer weight. The electric actuation mechanism offers unprecedented opportunities toward miniaturization with shape programmability, efficiency, and more degrees of freedom for applications in soft robotics and beyond.

Multifunctional liquid crystal polymer network soft actuators

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 3390-3396 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Yu ◽  
Ran Peng ◽  
Geoffrey Rivers ◽  
Che Zhang ◽  
Pengxiang Si ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Crystal ◽  
Liquid Metal ◽  
Large Strain ◽  
Polymer Network ◽  
Liquid Crystal Polymer ◽  
Crystal Polymer ◽  
Soft Actuators

Multifunctional liquid metal/liquid crystal polymer network soft actuators combine ultrahigh conductivity and thermal-responsive actuation behavior under large strain.

scholarly journals Effect of Isomeric Amine Chain Extenders and Crosslink Density on the Properties of Liquid Crystal Elastomers

Materials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 3094
Author(s):  
Yoojin Lee ◽  
Subi Choi ◽  
Beom-Goo Kang ◽  
Suk-kyun Ahn
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Liquid Crystal ◽  
Molecular Engineering ◽  
Side Chain ◽  
Aerospace Medicine ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Chain Extenders ◽  
Liquid Crystal Elastomers ◽  
Soft Actuators ◽  
Significant Attention

Among the various types of shape changing materials, liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) have received significant attention as they can undergo programmed and reversible shape transformations. The molecular engineering of LCEs is the key to manipulating their phase transition, mechanical properties, and actuation performance. In this work, LCEs containing three different types of butyl groups (n-, iso-, and sec-butyl) in the side chain were synthesized, and the effect of isomeric amine chain extenders on the thermal, mechanical, and actuation properties of the resulting LCEs was investigated. Because of the considerably low reactivity of the sec-butyl group toward the diacrylate in the LC monomer, only a densely crosslinked LCE was synthesized. Most interestingly, the mechanical properties, actuation temperature, and blocking stress of the LCEs comprising isobutyl groups were higher than those of the LCEs comprising n-butyl groups. This difference was attributed to the presence of branches in the LCEs with isobutyl groups, which resulted in a tighter molecular packing and reduced the free volume. Our results suggest a facile and effective method for synthesizing LCEs with tailored mechanical and actuation properties by the choice of chain extenders, which may advance the development of soft actuators for a variety of applications in aerospace, medicine, and optics.

Thermo‐ and Mechanochromic Camouflage and Self‐Healing in Biomimetic Soft Actuators Based on Liquid Crystal Elastomers

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhongcheng Liu ◽  
Hari Bisoyi ◽  
Yinliang Huang ◽  
Meng Wang ◽  
Hong Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Crystal ◽  
Self Healing ◽  
Liquid Crystal Elastomers ◽  
Soft Actuators

Mechano‐Optical Sensors Fabricated with Multilayered Liquid Crystal Elastomers Exhibiting Tunable Deformation Recovery

2021 ◽  
pp. 2104702
Author(s):  
Kyohei Hisano ◽  
Seiya Kimura ◽  
Kyosun Ku ◽  
Tomoki Shigeyama ◽  
Norihisa Akamatsu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Crystal ◽  
Optical Sensors ◽  
Liquid Crystal Elastomers ◽  
Deformation Recovery
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