Shape Programmable Materials via the Directed Self Assembly of Liquid Crystalline Elastomers

Liquid crystalline materials are pervasive in modern society as the basis of the display industry. It has been long-known that liquid crystalline materials in polymeric forms also exhibit exceptional characteristics in high performance applications as transparent armor or bulletproof vests as well as in optics and photonics. A specific class of liquid crystalline polymeric materials referred to as liquid crystalline elastomers were predicted by de Gennes to have exceptional promise as artificial muscles, owing to the unique assimilation of anisotropy and elasticity. Subsequent experimental studies have confirmed the salient features of these materials, with respect to other forms of stimuli-responsive soft matter, are actuation cycles of up to 400% as well “soft elasticity” (stretch at minimal stress). In the presentation, I will summarize our recent efforts in developing materials chemistry amenable to allowing arbitrary local control of the anisotropy within these materials. Enabled by these approaches, we have prepared complex actuators and mechanical elements from these materials. Notably, these materials are subject to mechanical design but homogenous in composition (lacking material/material interfaces). Relevance of this work to implementations in aerospace and commercial applications will be discussed.