Advanced Carbon Nanotube-Liquid Crystalline Elastomer Nanocomposites and Their Actuation Properties

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This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). The research objective of this award is to more fully understand carbon nanotube (CNT)-liquid crystalline elastomer (LCE) nanocomposites and their actuation behaviors. Adding a small amount of properly functionalized CNTs into the LCE will create a new class of CNT-LCE actuators that can be stimulated via an electrical field, electrical Joule heating, and remote IR irradiation with excellent actuation performance and improved mechanical properties. Pure LCE actuators can only be actuated by changing the temperatures of their surroundings. In order to uniformly disperse the CNTs in the LCE matrix and to achieve strong coupling between the CNTs and the LCE, the surfaces of the CNTs will be engineered rationally with various types of functional materials. The effects of CNT chemistry and loading on the structure and the material properties of the CNT-LCE nanocomposites will be established. The actuation behaviors of the CNT-LCE actuators under different stimuli including electrical field and remote IR irradiation will be investigated. A greater understanding of this new class of CNT-LCE composites will have a significant impact on the field of smart materials. The strong synergies between CNTs with various characteristics and LCEs can generate many novel properties and functions, and lead to practical applications in actuators, artificial muscles, micropumps, and micromotors. The technological results will be shared with industry partners, and the knowledge gained will be integrated into newly established courses to educate students about the growing importance of nanomaterials. Particular emphasis will be placed on developing research experiences for students of underrepresented groups and for middle/high school students enrolled in various science programs at UWM to introduce the concept of nanotechnology and to expand their interest in science.