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The bilayer structure consisting of thermal-responsive liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) and other polymer materials with stretchable heaters has attracted much attention in applications of soft actuators and soft robots due to its ability to generate large deformations when subjected to heat stimuli. A simple analytical thermo-mechanical model, accounting for the non-uniform feature of the temperature/strain distribution along the thickness direction, is established for this type of bilayer structure. The analytical predictions of the temperature and bending curvature radius agree well with finite element analysis and experiments. The influences of the LCE thickness and the heat generation power on the bending deformation of the bilayer structure are fully investigated. It is shown that a thinner LCE layer and a higher heat generation power could yield more bending deformation. These results may help the design of soft actuators and soft robots involving thermal responsive LCEs.

Solar photovoltaic/thermal (PV/T) applications can provide heat and electricity at the same time and thus improve the conversion efficiency of solar energy. In this paper nanofluids have been applied to the top of silicon photovoltaic panel to cool down solar cells and collect heat. Nanofluids with different mass fractions have been prepared and their optical properties have been measured. The results show that the transmittance of visible lights decreases with the mass fraction and the film thickness.The solar cell temperature, the temperature difference between the entrance and outlet, and the output power of solar cells within the PV/T system have been studied. Although the electrical efficiency of the PV/T system is lower than the bare PV module, the overall energy conversion efficiency of the PV/T system is higher.

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