Morphing of stiffness-heterogeneous liquid crystal elastomers via mechanical training and locally controlled photopolymerization
Morphing of stiffness-heterogeneous liquid crystal elastomers via mechanical training and locally controlled photopolymerization
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DOI：
10.1016/j.matt.2022.08.019
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发表时间：
2022-09
期刊：
影响因子：
18.9
通讯作者：
Yi Li;Gina Parlato;Francis K. Masese;R. Kasi;Teng Zhang;Xueju Wang
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Yi Li;Gina Parlato;Francis K. Masese;R. Kasi;Teng Zhang;Xueju Wang
由液晶-聚合物网络耦合产生的液晶弹性体（LCE）具有大的、可逆的形状变化行为，在许多应用中都有着广阔的前景。尽管进行了大量研究，利用 LCE 的分子-材料-结构相互作用来设计局部控制的形状变形结构仍然是一个挑战。在这里，我们报告了一种简便且通用的策略，通过局部控制介晶排列和交联密度来定制可重构 LCE 结构的刚度和变形行为。空间排列的 LCE 结构的选择性光聚合产生了具有不同刚度和选择性永久介晶编程的良好控制的轻度和高度交联域，这使得各种以前无法获得的刚度异质几何形状成为可能，正如通过综合实验和有限元分析在各种变形 LCE 结构中所证明的那样。此外，非光聚合区域的编程允许重塑，如顺序变形的 LCE 杆和“面”所示。异质变形 LCE 结构具有许多应用潜力，包括人造肌肉、软机器人等。
The large, reversible shape-changing behaviors of liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs), resulting from liquid crystal-polymer network couplings, are promising for many applications. Despite intensive studies, harnessing molecular-material-structure interactions of LCEs for the design of locally controlled shape-morphing structures remains a challenge. Here, we report a facile and versatile strategy to tailor the stiffness and the morphing behavior of reconfigurable LCE structures via locally controlled mesogen alignment and crosslinking densities. Selective photopolymerization of spatially aligned LCE structures yields well-controlled lightly and highly crosslinked domains of distinct stiffness and selective permanent mesogen programming, which enables various previously inaccessible stiffness-heterogeneous geometries, as demonstrated in diverse morphing LCE structures via integrated experimental and finite element analysis. Furthermore, programming of the non-photopolymerized regions allows for reshaping, as shown in a sequentially shape-morphing LCE rod and "face". The heterogenous morphing LCE structures have the potential for many applications, including in artificial muscles, soft robotics, and many others.