Selective Decrosslinking in Liquid Crystal Polymer Actuators for Optical Reconfiguration of Origami and Light-Fueled Locomotion

Angewandte Chemie
Zhi-Chao JiangYue Zhao

Abstract

The ability to optically reconfigure an existing actuator of a liquid crystal polymer network (LCN) so that it can display a new actuation behavior or function is highly desired in developing materials for soft robotics applications. Demonstrated here is a powerful approach relying on selective polymer chain decrosslinking in a LCN actuator with uniaxial LC alignment. Using an anthracene-containing LCN, spatially controlled optical decrosslinking can be realized through photocleavage of anthracene dimers under 254 nm UV light, which alters the distribution of actuation (crosslinked) and non-actuation (decrosslinked) domains and thus determines the actuation behavior upon order-disorder phase transitions. Based on this mechanism, a single actuator having a flat shape can be reconfigured in an on-demand manner to exhibit reversible shape transformation such as self-folding into origami three-dimensional structures. Moreover, using a dye-doped LCN actuator, a light-fueled microwalker can be optically reconfigured to adopt different locomotion behaviors, changing from moving in the laser scanning direction to moving in the opposite direction.

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Citations

Sep 25, 2019·Materials·Jae Gwang KimJeong Jae Wie
Mar 14, 2020·Angewandte Chemie·Zhen JiangLuke A Connal
Jul 21, 2020·Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics : PCCP·Joost BrancartGuy Van Assche
Aug 12, 2020·Chemical Society Reviews·M Pilz da CunhaA P H J Schenning
Oct 6, 2019·Nature Communications·Bo ZuoHong Yang
Mar 11, 2020·Advanced Science·Marina Pilz da CunhaAlbert P H J Schenning
Aug 20, 2020·Macromolecular Rapid Communications·Bin NiMin-Hui Li
Jun 20, 2020·Journal of Materials Chemistry. B, Materials for Biology and Medicine·Zhijian Wang, Shengqiang Cai
Nov 25, 2020·Soft Matter·Sunqian LiuDong Yuan
Jan 15, 2021·Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics : PCCP·Joost BrancartGuy Van Assche
Jan 21, 2021·Chemical Society Reviews·Jinhua Li, Martin Pumera
Feb 19, 2021·Chemical Reviews·Mohand O SaedEugene M Terentjev
May 28, 2021·The Journal of Physical Chemistry. B·Bin Zhao
Jun 29, 2021·Macromolecules·Davey C HoekstraAlbert P H J Schenning
Aug 5, 2021·Journal of the American Chemical Society·Jianxiong HanSi Wu
Jan 7, 2020·ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces·Wenxin FanKunyan Sui
May 30, 2019·ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces·Xiaomin HeJintao Yang
Jan 17, 2020·ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces·Xu DongJianning Ding

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