Smart Soft Materials: Programming Complex Shape Transformation in Liquid Crystal Elastomers

RAL site users are very welcome to join for this in-person talk on Thursday 17rd July at 1:30pm.

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Introduction

Abstract: Biological soft matter exhibits dynamic and complex functionality, such as your heart which continuously beats to sustain life. This in stark contrast to traditional engineered materials, such as foams, seals, and dampers, which are often static and lifeless. Liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) have emerged as a promising synthetic alternative, capable of rivaling the sophistication of living systems, with broad potential in health, automotive, and defense sectors. This talk will explore manufacturing techniques to program the liquid crystal microstructural order within the elastomer, which governs its unique, anisotropic mechanical properties in the nematic liquid crystal phase. Upon a nematic-to-isotropic phase transition the LCE exhibits a myriad switchable physical properties such as transitioning from opaque to transparent, energy-dissipating to energy-storing, and undergoing reversible shape changes of up to 400%. This dynamic, responsive behavior makes LCEs especially promising for applications in soft robotics, adaptive microfluidics, and biomedical devices.

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