Journal
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
Volume 57, Issue 20, Pages 5665-5668Publisher
WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH
DOI: 10.1002/anie.201800366
Keywords
actuator; click reactions; fast gelation; liquid crystal elastomers; programmable folding
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Funding
- National Science Foundation (NSF) DMR/Polymer program [DMR-1410253]
- EFRI-ODISSEI [EFRI 13-31583]
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Liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) with intrinsic anisotropic strains are reversible shape-memory polymers of interest in sensor, actuator, and soft robotics applications. Rapid gelation of LCEs is required to fix molecular ordering within the elastomer network, which is essential for directed shape transformation. A highly efficient photo-cross-linking chemistry, based on two-step oxygen-mediated thiol-acrylate click reactions, allows for nearly instant gelation of the main-chain LCE network upon exposure to UV light. Molecular orientation from the pre-aligned liquid crystal oligomers can be faithfully transferred to the LCE films, allowing for preprogrammed shape morphing from two to three dimensions by origami- (folding-only) and kirigami-like (folding with cutting) mechanisms. The new LCE chemistry also enables widely tunable physical properties, including nematic-to-isotropic phase-transition temperatures (TN-I), glassy transition temperatures (T-g), and mechanical strains, without disrupting the LC ordering.
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