Multimodal and Multistimuli 4D-Printed Magnetic Composite Liquid Crystal Elastomer Actuators.

ABSTRACT: Liquid crystal elastomer (LCE)-based soft actuators are being studied for their significant shape-changing abilities when they are exposed to heat or light. Nevertheless, their relatively slow response compared with soft magnetic materials limits their application possibilities. Integration of magnetic responsiveness with LCEs has been previously attempted; however, the LCE response is typically jeopardized in high volumes of magnetic microparticles (MMPs). Here, a multistimuli, magnetically active LCE (MLCE), capable of producing programmable and multimodal actuation, is presented. The MLCE, composed of MMPs within an LCE matrix, is generated through extrusion-based 4D printing that enables digital control of mesogen orientation even at a 1:1 (LCE:MMPs) weight ratio, a challenging task to

SUBMITTER: Espindola-Perez ER 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10797586 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature