la2c00490_si_013.mp4 (10.26 MB)
A High-Fidelity Preparation Method for Liquid Crystal Elastomer Actuators
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posted on 2022-05-28, 13:06 authored by Yaoyao Jiang, Xu Dong, Qi Wang, Shengping Dai, Lvzhou Li, Ningyi Yuan, Jianning DingThree-dimensional
(3D) structural actuators based on monodomain
liquid crystal elastomers (mLCEs) show a wide range of potential applications.
A direct ink writing technique has been developed to print LCE structures.
It is still a challenge to print high-precision 3D-mLCE actuators.
Here, a method of wet 3D printing combined with freeze-drying is proposed.
The coagulation bath is designed to restrain the nascent fiber disturbance
of the capillary wave and weight by adjusting the ink viscosity and
printing speed to control the LC molecular order, enabling uniform
(B = 1.02) fibers with a high degree of orientational
alignment (S = 0.45) of the mesogens. Furthermore,
dynamic disulfide bond formation was used as the cross-linking point,
which can allow the LCE network structure to be continuously cured
to ensure adjacent layers are effectively bonded and, in combination
with freeze-drying, produce the 3D-mLCE actuators of fidelity architecture
(98.37 vol %) by printing. The actuators have excellent actuating
strain (45.12%), and the dynamic disulfide bond makes them programmable.
Finally, a printed bionic starfish and a printed bionic hand can easily
grab regular and irregular objects. This work provides a feasible
scheme for fabricating complex 3D-mLCEs with reversible changes in
shape.
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printed bionic starfishprinted bionic handorientational alignment (<nascent fiber disturbancelce network structurelc molecular orderexcellent actuating strainensure adjacent layersenabling uniform (<easily grab regular37 vol %)print lce structuresstructural actuators basedfabricating complex 3dfidelity preparation methodfidelity architectureprint highwork provideswide rangereversible changesprecision 3dpotential applicationsmlce actuatorslinking pointirregular objectsink viscosityfeasible schemeeffectively bondedcontinuously curedcoagulation bathcapillary wave12 %),