Light-powered self-oscillation in liquid crystal elastomer auxetic metamaterials with large volume change

Zhou, Lin; Dai, Yao; Fang, Jigen; Li, Kai

doi:10.1016/j.ijmecsci.2023.108423

Cited by 32 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 66 publications

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“… – 39 Many materials can have multiple photomechanical response mechanisms 15 , 40 . Fabricating photomechanical materials into specific geometries has resulted in many devices, such as soft-robotic actuators, 41 – 44 electric generators, 45 – 49 power meters, 50 optical switches, 51 , 52 self-oscillators, 53 and biomimetic actuators 54 – 57 Photomechanical devices have also been shown to move over water, 58 , 59 across terrain, 32 , 60 – 63 and through the air 64 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Uniaxial photomechanical motion in large diameter polydimethylsiloxane optical fibers with fluoropolymer claddings

Knitter,

Ferreira,

Sheffield

et al. 2024

J. Optical Microsystems

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This study focuses on the photomechanical behavior of step-index optical fibers with a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) core and fluoropolymer claddings. The PDMS hosts dopant graphene nanoplatelets, which are heated when illuminated by visible light. Sample fibers were fabricated by drawing the doped resin into thin fluoropolymer tubing before the resin set. The individual motions of the core and cladding were observed to be coupled, which resulted in a relatively small photomechanical effect. Adding a castor oil lubricant between the core and cladding significantly increased the core's photomechanical strain. The large strain of the lubricated cores exhibited both irreversible and reversible photomechanical motion. Cycling the pump beam resulted in a fully reversible photomechanical piston that can be modeled by a linear response function to the incident pump beam.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Uniaxial photomechanical motion in large diameter polydimethylsiloxane optical fibers with fluoropolymer claddings

Knitter,

Ferreira,

Sheffield

et al. 2024

J. Optical Microsystems

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“…A rich variety of Self-excited oscillation systems constructed based on active materials have been recently reported, such as hydrogels [20,21], dielectric elastomers, ionic gels [22,23], liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) [24][25][26][27][28][29] and temperature-sensitive polymers [30][31][32][33]. At the same time, researchers have proposed and constructed different Self-excited oscillation patterns based on various types of active materials, such as bending [30][31][32], flexing, twisting [33,34], stretching and contracting [35], rolling [36], swimming, oscillating, vibrating [37][38][39], jumping [40][41][42], rotating [43], turning outward or reversing, and even the synchronized motion of several coupled Self-oscillators.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Self-Sustained Oscillation of Electrothermally Responsive Liquid Crystal Elastomer Film in Steady-State Circuits

et al. 2023

Self Cite

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Self-excited oscillations have the advantages of absorbing energy from a stable environment and Self-control; therefore, Self-excited motion patterns have broader applications in micro devices, autonomous robots, sensors and energy-generating devices. In this paper, a Self-sustained curling liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) film-mass system is proposed on the basis of electrothermally responsive materials, which can realize Self-oscillation under a steady-state current. Based on the contact model and dynamic LCE model, a nonlinear dynamics model of LCE film in steady-state circuits is developed and numerical calculations are carried out using the Runge–Kutta method. Through numerical calculations, it is demonstrated that LCE film-mass systems have two motion patterns in steady-state circuits: namely, a Self-oscillation pattern and a stationary pattern. Self-sustained curling of LCE film originates from the fact that the energy absorbed by the system exceeds the energy dissipated due to the damping effect. In addition, the critical conditions for triggering Self-oscillation and the effects of several key dimensionless system parameters on the amplitude and period of Self-oscillation are investigated in detail. Calculation results show that the height of electrolyte solution, gravitational acceleration, elastic modulus of LCE film, limit temperature, curvature coefficient, thermal shrinkage coefficient and damping factor all have a modulating effect on the amplitude and period of Self-oscillation. This research may deepen the understanding of Self-excited oscillation, with promising applications in energy harvesting, power generation, monitoring, soft robotics, medical devices, and micro and nano devices.

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“…Furthermore, these materials have led to the engineering of diverse modes of self-sustained motion modes, each characterized by their own unique dynamics. These motion modes span from vibration [ 9 , 10 , 11 ], bending [ 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ], rolling [ 16 , 17 ], torsion [ 18 , 19 ], stretching and contraction [ 20 , 21 ], to even swimming [ 22 ], oscillating [ 23 , 24 , 25 ], buckling [ 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 ], jumping [ 31 , 32 , 33 ], rotating [ 34 ], valving, or reversing [ 35 , 36 ]. Intricate nonlinear feedback mechanisms, including phenomena such as self-shading [ 26 ], the coupling of large deformations with chemical reactions [ 1 , 2 ], and the generation of photothermal surface tension gradients [ 37 , 38 ], make these self-sustained motion modes possible.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Self-Sustained Chaotic Jumping of Liquid Crystal Elastomer Balloon under Steady Illumination

Sun,

Dai,

et al. 2023

Polymers

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Self-sustained chaotic jumping systems composed of active materials are characterized by their ability to maintain motion through drawing energy from the steady external environment, holding significant promise in actuators, medical devices, biomimetic robots, and other fields. In this paper, an innovative light-powered self-sustained chaotic jumping system is proposed, which comprises a liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) balloon and an elastic substrate. The corresponding theoretical model is developed by combining the dynamic constitutive model of an LCE with Hertz contact theory. Under steady illumination, the stationary LCE balloon experiences contraction and expansion, and through the work of contact expansion between LCE balloon and elastic substrate, it ultimately jumps up from the elastic substrate, achieving self-sustained jumping. Numerical calculations reveal that the LCE balloon exhibits periodic jumping and chaotic jumping under steady illumination. Moreover, we reveal the mechanism underlying self-sustained periodic jumping of the balloon in which the damping dissipation is compensated through balloon contact with the elastic substrate, as well as the mechanism involved behind self-sustained chaotic jumping. Furthermore, we provide insights into the effects of system parameters on the self-sustained jumping behaviors. The emphasis in this study is on the self-sustained chaotic jumping system, and the variation of the balloon jumping modes with parameters is illustrated through bifurcation diagrams. This work deepens the understanding of chaotic motion, contributes to the research of motion behavior control of smart materials, and provides ideas for the bionic design of chaotic vibrators and chaotic jumping robots.

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Light-powered self-oscillation in liquid crystal elastomer auxetic metamaterials with large volume change

Cited by 32 publications

References 66 publications

Uniaxial photomechanical motion in large diameter polydimethylsiloxane optical fibers with fluoropolymer claddings

Uniaxial photomechanical motion in large diameter polydimethylsiloxane optical fibers with fluoropolymer claddings

Self-Sustained Oscillation of Electrothermally Responsive Liquid Crystal Elastomer Film in Steady-State Circuits

Self-Sustained Chaotic Jumping of Liquid Crystal Elastomer Balloon under Steady Illumination

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