Guided Folding of Nematic Liquid Crystal Elastomer Sheets into 3D via Patterned 1D Microchannels
- 15 September 2016
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Wiley in Advanced Materials
- Vol. 28 (43) , 9637-9643
Abstract
Two-dimensional liquid-crystal elastomer (LCE) sheets with preprogrammed topological defects are prepared by aligning liquid-crystal monomers within micropatterned epoxy channels, followed by photopolymerization. Upon heating, the LCE films form various three-dimensional structures in agreement with theoretical design. The miniaturized LCE actuators offer large-area work capacities (≈1.05 J m–2) to lift over 700 times their own weight.Keywords
Funding Information
- Simons Foundation
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