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.

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.

Effect of stretching angle on the stress plateau behavior of main-chain liquid crystal elastomers

Soft Matter ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (11) ◽  
pp. 3128-3136
Author(s):  
Suzuka Okamoto ◽  
Shinichi Sakurai ◽  
Kenji Urayama
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Crystal ◽  
Main Chain ◽  
Stress Plateau ◽  
Liquid Crystal Elastomer ◽  
Ultimate Elongation ◽  
Liquid Crystal Elastomers

Stretching angle for a main-chain liquid crystal elastomer has pronounced effects on the width of the stress plateau as well as the ultimate elongation, while it has no effect on the plateau height.

Bio-inspired thermal-responsive inverse opal films with dual structural colors based on liquid crystal elastomer

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (17) ◽  
pp. 4424-4430 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huihui Xing ◽  
Jun Li ◽  
Jinbao Guo ◽  
Jie Wei
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Crystal ◽  
Inverse Opal ◽  
Liquid Crystal Elastomer ◽  
Structural Colors ◽  
Thermal Switching ◽  
Liquid Crystal Elastomers

The fabrication of inverse opal micropatterns based on liquid crystal elastomers with dual structural colors and their thermal switching behaviors are described.

Aggregation-Induced Emission Luminogen-Functionalized Liquid Crystal Elastomer Soft Actuators

2018 ◽  
Vol 51 (12) ◽  
pp. 4516-4524 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Liu ◽  
Meng Wang ◽  
Ling-Xiang Guo ◽  
Ying Sun ◽  
Xue-Qin Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Crystal ◽  
Aggregation Induced Emission ◽  
Liquid Crystal Elastomer ◽  
Soft Actuators

Deuteron NMR investigation on orientational order parameter in polymer dispersed liquid crystal elastomers

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (40) ◽  
pp. 23064-23072
Author(s):  
Andraž Rešetič ◽  
Jerneja Milavec ◽  
Valentina Domenici ◽  
Blaž Zupančič ◽  
Alexej Bubnov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Crystal ◽  
Order Parameter ◽  
Orientational Order ◽  
Orientational Order Parameter ◽  
Liquid Crystal Elastomer ◽  
H Nmr ◽  
Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal ◽  
Polymer Dispersed ◽  
Liquid Crystal Elastomers ◽  
Magnetically Aligned

Orientational order parameter of magnetically aligned liquid crystal elastomer particles suspended in a cured silicone matrix is assessed using 2H-NMR spectroscopy. Obtained results correspond well with the composite's thermomechanical response.

An Electrically Actuated Soft Artificial Muscle Based on a High-Performance Flexible Electrothermal Film and Liquid-Crystal Elastomer

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (50) ◽  
pp. 56338-56349
Author(s):  
Haoran Liu ◽  
Hongmiao Tian ◽  
Jinyou Shao ◽  
Zhijian Wang ◽  
Xiangming Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Crystal ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Artificial Muscle ◽  
Liquid Crystal Elastomer ◽  
Electrically Actuated

Cutting the Cord: Progress in Untethered Soft Robotics and Actuators

MRS Advances ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (51-52) ◽  
pp. 2787-2804 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meng Li ◽  
Nicholas A Ostrovsky-Snider ◽  
Metin Sitti ◽  
Fiorenzo G Omenetto
Keyword(s):  
Real World ◽  
Material Science ◽  
Degrees Of Freedom ◽  
Research Interest ◽  
Soft Robotics ◽  
Stimuli Responsive ◽  
New Materials ◽  
Real World Applications ◽  
Soft Actuators ◽  
Rigid Skeleton

AbstractIn recent decades, increasing research interest has shifted from traditional rigid skeleton robotics to flexible, shape-programmable, environmentally adaptive and stimuli-responsive “soft robotics”. Within this discipline, soft-robots capable of untethered and/or remote-controlled operation are of particular interest given their utility for actuation in complex situations with larger range of mobility and higher degrees of freedom. The use of new materials and the development of advanced fabrication techniques enable better performance and expand the utility of such soft actuators, moving them towards real-world applications. This review outlines some recent advances in untethered soft robotics and actuators to illustrate the promise of these applications at the interface of material science and device engineering.

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

scholarly journals Shape-programmable liquid crystal elastomer structures with arbitrary three-dimensional director fields and geometries

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yubing Guo ◽  
Jiachen Zhang ◽  
Wenqi Hu ◽  
Muhammad Turab Ali Khan ◽  
Metin Sitti
Keyword(s):  
Liquid Crystal ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Heterogeneous Material ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Field Orientation ◽  
Liquid Crystal Elastomer ◽  
Material Sample ◽  
Liquid Crystal Elastomers ◽  
Thermally Triggered

AbstractLiquid crystal elastomers exhibit large reversible strain and programmable shape transformations, enabling various applications in soft robotics, dynamic optics, and programmable origami and kirigami. The morphing modes of these materials depend on both their geometries and director fields. In two dimensions, a pixel-by-pixel design has been accomplished to attain more flexibility over the spatial resolution of the liquid crystal response. Here we generalize this idea in two steps. First, we create independent, cubic light-responsive voxels, each with a predefined director field orientation. Second, these voxels are in turn assembled to form lines, grids, or skeletal structures that would be rather difficult to obtain from an initially connected material sample. In this way, the orientation of the director fields can be made to vary at voxel resolution to allow for programmable optically- or thermally-triggered anisotropic or heterogeneous material responses and morphology changes in three dimensions that would be impossible or hard to implement otherwise.

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.

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