Functional Liquid Crystal Elastomers Based on Dynamic Covalent Chemistry

Valenzuela, Cristian; Chen, Yuanhao; Feng, Wei

doi:10.1002/chem.202201957

Cited by 20 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 275 publications

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“…However, there are many problems with traditional covalent crosslink methods, such as difficulty in assembly, programming and reshaping. Therefore, post-crosslinking methods and dynamic covalent bonds [101][102][103] are introduced into LCNs to solve these problems.…”

Section: Covalently Crosslinked Lcpsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shape‐Morphing Liquid‐Crystal polymers

Zhang

Yuan

Zhou

et al. 2023

Chemistry A European J

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Liquid‐crystal polymers are a type of representative material combining the order‐disorder transition of liquid crystals and the superior properties of polymers. The phase transition from the liquid‐crystal phase to the isotropic state of mesogens causes large, controllable, and reversible deformation of polymers; thus, liquid‐crystal polymers have emerged as one of the most valuable candidates for shape‐morphing materials. Therefore, this review will focus on the recent development of shape‐morphing liquid‐crystal polymers, including the modes of energy conversions, material design strategies and further applications. In the main, novel material design methods and a wide range of application of shape‐morphing liquid‐crystal polymers are discussed.

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Section: Covalently Crosslinked Lcpsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shape‐Morphing Liquid‐Crystal polymers

Zhang

Yuan

Zhou

et al. 2023

Chemistry A European J

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“…Nature has long been considered a great source of inspiration for translating biological mechanisms and perfectly embodied architectures into functional, soft-deformable, and compliant structures to perform high-level tasks. − Bioinspired soft robots have increasingly gained attention motivated by the recent advances in responsive soft materials and foresee a broader scope in diverse emerging technological applications. − Compared to conventional robots built with rigid components, soft robots are known to possess high structural deformability and multiple degrees of freedom for actuation, which can provide safe human–robot interaction and overwhelming advantages in adapting to confined environments. − To achieve this, there has been heightened interest in developing soft robots with new technologies for actuation, sensing, control, and energy supply based on various functional responsive soft materials such as shape memory polymers, hydrogels, and liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs). − Among them, LCEs are revealed as one of the most promising candidates to realize reversible and programmable shape deformation as well as versatile bioinspired robotic motions, such as bending, twisting, walking, swimming, and oscillating in response to diverse external stimuli such as light, heat, electric field, and moisture. − LCE-based soft actuators have been considered particularly promising for the design and fabrication of bioinspired soft robots with intelligent functions such as reconfigurability, self-regulation, and even associative learning. − …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wireless Power Transfer to Electrothermal Liquid Crystal Elastomer Actuators

Zhang

Yang

Valenzuela

et al. 2023

ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces

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Wireless actuation of electrically driven soft actuators is of paramount importance for the development of bioinspired soft robotics without physical connection or on-board batteries. Here, we demonstrate untethered electrothermal liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) actuators based on emerging wireless power transfer (WPT) technology. We first design and fabricate electrothermal LCE-based soft actuators that consist of an active LCE layer, a conductive liquid metal-filled polyacrylic acid (LM-PA) layer, and a passive polyimide layer. LM can function not only as an electrothermal transducer to endow resulting soft actuators with electrothermal responsiveness but also as an embedded sensor to track the resistance changes. Various shape-morphing and locomotive modes such as directional bending, chiral helical deformation, and inchworm-inspired crawling can be facilely obtained through appropriately controlling the molecular alignment direction of monodomain LCEs, and the reversible shape-deformation behaviors of resulting soft actuators can be monitored in real-time through resistance changes. Interestingly, untethered electrothermal LCE-based soft actuators have been achieved by designing a closed conductive LM circuit within the actuators and combining it with inductive-coupling WPT technology. When the resulting soft actuator approaches a commercially available wireless power supply system, an induced electromotive force can be generated within the closed LM circuit, which results in Joule heating and wireless actuation. As proof-of-concept illustrations, wirelessly driven soft actuators that can exhibit programmable shape-morphing behaviors are demonstrated. The research disclosed herein can provide insights into the development of bioinspired somatosensory soft actuators, battery-free wireless soft robots, and beyond.

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“…In addition, reported exchangeable LCEs were mainly reprocessed by hot pressing due to the limited fluidity of the robust solid-phase polymer networks. 29 Therefore, the elaborate combination of exchangeable LCEs and cuttingedge welding technologies is highly crucial to the highefficiency fabrication of multi-responsive soft actuators.…”

Section: ■ Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although previous works have great efforts on the novel dynamic covalent bonds and molecular design strategies for exchangeable LCEs, the reported integration strategies of LCEs suffer from high welding temperature, long processing time, or poor joint quality. In addition, reported exchangeable LCEs were mainly reprocessed by hot pressing due to the limited fluidity of the robust solid-phase polymer networks . Therefore, the elaborate combination of exchangeable LCEs and cutting-edge welding technologies is highly crucial to the high-efficiency fabrication of multi-responsive soft actuators.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ultrasonic-Excited Ultrafast Seamless Integration of Heterostructured Liquid Crystalline Elastomers for Multi-responsive Soft Actuators

Zheng

Yuan

et al. 2023

ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces

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Multicomponent/heterostructured liquid crystalline elastomers (LCEs) have recently garnered extensive attention for the design of soft robots with high dexterity and flexibility. However, the reported integration strategies of LCEs seriously suffer from high welding temperature, long processing time, and poor joint quality. Herein, the high-efficiency seamless ultrasonic welding (UW) of reprogrammable silver nanowire−LCE composites (AgNW−LCEs) have been realized without any auxiliary reagents based on the dynamic silver− disulfide coordination interactions. The elaborate combination of silver− disulfide coordination interactions and UW technology establishes an effective double-network welding mechanism of AgNWs and dynamic LC networks due to the high-frequency vibration at the welding interface. During the UW process, monolithic AgNW−LCEs can be integrated into heterostructured actuators at room temperature for 0.68 s. Furthermore, the welded AgNW−LCEs demonstrate an exceptional strain healing efficiency of ∼100%, a stress healing efficiency of ∼85%, and a maintained orientation of the LC alignment. Taking advantage of the high-efficiency UW technology, the heterostructured AgNW−LCE actuators with different LC alignments or LC monomers have been successfully implemented for a multi-degree-of-freedom soft robotic arm and a time-modulated flower-mimic actuator. This work provides an efficient approach toward the development of multi-responsive entirely soft actuators based on smart polymers.

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Functional Liquid Crystal Elastomers Based on Dynamic Covalent Chemistry

Cited by 20 publications

References 275 publications

Shape‐Morphing Liquid‐Crystal polymers

Shape‐Morphing Liquid‐Crystal polymers

Wireless Power Transfer to Electrothermal Liquid Crystal Elastomer Actuators

Ultrasonic-Excited Ultrafast Seamless Integration of Heterostructured Liquid Crystalline Elastomers for Multi-responsive Soft Actuators

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