Remotely Controlled, Reversible, On-Demand Assembly and Reconfiguration of 3D Mesostructures via Liquid Crystal Elastomer Platforms
Remotely Controlled, Reversible, On-Demand Assembly and Reconfiguration of 3D Mesostructures via Liquid Crystal Elastomer Platforms
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DOI：
10.1021/acsami.0c21371
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发表时间：
2021-02-12
影响因子：
9.5
通讯作者：
Wang, Xueju
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Li, Yi;Luo, Chaoqian;Wang, Xueju
三维细观结构因其在广泛领域的潜在应用而迅速受到人们的关注。尽管进行了密集的研究，但远程控制、可逆、按需组装和重新配置3D细观结构仍然是一个挑战，这些结构是许多应用所需的，包括机器人、微创生物医学设备和可部署系统。在这里，我们介绍了一种简单的策略，利用液晶弹性体(LCEs)，一种能够大规模、可逆形状变化的软聚合物，作为通过远程和按需方式压缩屈曲二维(2D)前驱体的3D细观结构的可逆组装和编程的平台。由于材料的软弹性和液晶(LC)分子在远程热刺激下的可逆向列相-各向同性转变，LCE基板具有高度可伸缩的可逆形状转换行为，为可逆组装和重新配置过程提供了确定性的热-机械控制。给出了不同几何形状和材料组成的三维细观结构的实验结果和有限元模拟结果，表明了该方法的通用性和可靠性。此外，通过LCE平台组装了可重构发光系统，并在其“开”和“关”状态之间进行变形。这些结果为从远程可编程3D介观结构到可调电子系统等领域提供了许多令人兴奋的机会。
Three-dimensional (3D) mesostructures are gaining rapidly growing interest due to their potential applications in a broad range of areas. Despite intensive studies, remotely controlled, reversible, on-demand assembly and reconfiguration of 3D mesostructures, which are desired for many applications, including robotics, minimally invasive biomedical devices, and deployable systems, remain a challenge. Here, we introduce a facile strategy to utilize liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs), a soft polymer capable of large, reversible shape changes, as a platform for reversible assembly and programming of 3D mesostructures via compressive buckling of two-dimensional (2D) precursors in a remote and on-demand fashion. The highly stretchable, reversible shape-switching behavior of the LCE substrate, resulting from the soft elasticity of the material and the reversible nematic-isotropic transition of liquid crystal (LC) molecules upon remote thermal stimuli, provides deterministic thermal-mechanical control over the reversible assembly and reconfiguration processes. Demonstrations include experimental results and finite element simulations of 3D mesostructures with diverse geometries and material compositions, showing the versatility and reliability of the approach. Furthermore, a reconfigurable light-emitting system is assembled and morphed between its "on" and "off" status via the LCE platform. These results provide many exciting opportunities for areas from remotely programmable 3D mesostructures to tunable electronic systems.