Reversible adhesion damping tapes based on layers of liquid crystalline elastomer

液晶弹性体具有显著的减振性能，并伴随着表面压敏粘接。基本的物理学依赖于增加的旋转自由度，在宏观尺度上表现为向列相指向矢，或者在微观尺度上表现为移动的棒状介元。材料中的振动变形将高达97%的能量损失到这些旋转模式中，导致材料中异常高的机械损耗率。我们的分析和测试建立了该损耗系数与压敏粘接强度之间的直接关系。由于这种粘合完全基于物理能量衰减机制，没有化学残留物，也没有表面性能的退化，这表明这种应用是真正可逆的自粘性“振动阻尼带”，在加热/冷却时进入和离开向列相液晶态时出现可逆性。在ERC ADG 786659下开发了一个大型新材料库后，我们希望扩大LCE作为减震胶带的工业应用。科学是明确的，而且是公开出版的，但现在的挑战是向工业转型。为此，我们与德国的Lohman Tapes Group GmbH和初创企业剑桥智能塑料有限公司密切合作，目标是：[a)完成针对特定Lohmann工艺和应用的胶带产品的研发阶段，并[b]在荷兰的Bright tlands Chemelot孵化器园区建立一个试点工厂，该工厂将直接与终端用户行业合作。

Liquid crystalline elastomers have remarkable vibration damping properties, and the associated surface pressure-sensitive adhesion. The underlying physics relies on the added rotational degrees of freedom, presenting as the nematic director on macroscopic scale or as mobile rod-like mesogens on microscopic scale. The vibrational deformations in the material lose up to 97% of their energy into these rotational modes, resulting in an anomalously high mechanical loss factor in the material. Our analysis and tests established a direct relationship between this loss factor, and the strength of pressure-sensitive adhesion. As this adhesion is entirely based on the physical energy-damping mechanism, there is no chemical residue - nor degradation of the surface properties, suggesting the applicationj as truly reversible self-adhesive 'vibration damping tape' where the reversibility arises on entering and leaving the nematic LC state on heating/cooling. After developing a large library of new materials under ERC AdG 786659, we want to scale up for the industrial application of LCEs as damping adhesive tapes. The science is clear, and is in open press, but the challenge now is to make the transition to industry. For that we work closely with Lohman Tapes Group GmbH in Germany, and a startup Cambridge Smart Plastics Ltd, with the goal to: [a] complete the R&D stage of the tape product for specific Lohmann process and applications, and [b] establish a pilot plant in Brightlands Chemelot incubator campus in The Netherlands, that would work directly with the enduserindustries.