Liquid Crystal Polycaprolactone Copolymer Elastomer With Low Autonomous Driving Temperature
Hongwei Zhou
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Environmentally Friendly Polymeric Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering Changzhou University, Changzhou, P. R. China
Contribution: Investigation (lead), Writing - original draft (lead)
Search for more papers by this authorHongjin Li
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Environmentally Friendly Polymeric Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering Changzhou University, Changzhou, P. R. China
Contribution: Investigation (supporting)
Search for more papers by this authorYao Yan
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Environmentally Friendly Polymeric Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering Changzhou University, Changzhou, P. R. China
Contribution: Investigation (supporting)
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Rong Yang
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Environmentally Friendly Polymeric Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering Changzhou University, Changzhou, P. R. China
Correspondence:
Rong Yang ([email protected])
Contribution: Conceptualization (lead), Supervision (lead), Writing - review & editing (lead)
Search for more papers by this authorHongwei Zhou
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Environmentally Friendly Polymeric Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering Changzhou University, Changzhou, P. R. China
Contribution: Investigation (lead), Writing - original draft (lead)
Search for more papers by this authorHongjin Li
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Environmentally Friendly Polymeric Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering Changzhou University, Changzhou, P. R. China
Contribution: Investigation (supporting)
Search for more papers by this authorYao Yan
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Environmentally Friendly Polymeric Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering Changzhou University, Changzhou, P. R. China
Contribution: Investigation (supporting)
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Rong Yang
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Environmentally Friendly Polymeric Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering Changzhou University, Changzhou, P. R. China
Correspondence:
Rong Yang ([email protected])
Contribution: Conceptualization (lead), Supervision (lead), Writing - review & editing (lead)
Search for more papers by this authorFunding: This work was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (BK20241943), National Natural Science Foundation of China (51903021).
ABSTRACT
Liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) are liquid crystal polymers with moderate crosslinking that exhibit elasticity in both their isotropic and liquid crystal states. These materials can be programmed through chemical design and geometric configuration to achieve autonomous actuation at specific temperatures. Typically, the autonomous actuation temperature of LCEs exceeds the phase transition temperature of their isotropic states, with most reported LCEs requiring temperatures above 100°C. Such high temperatures pose challenges for use in soft robotics due to increased energy consumption and limited operational flexibility. In this study, we introduce a small amount of polycaprolactone (PCL) into the main chain of LCEs, effectively lowering their phase transition temperature while maintaining over 90% of the reversible shrinkage strain characteristic of pure LCEs. By adjusting the PCL content, the number of twists, and the helix density, we successfully obtained an LCE-PCL actuator with improved autonomous actuation performance at temperatures ranging from 45°C to 105°C. Moreover, by modulating the degree of torsion and the operating temperature, the LCE-PCL autonomous actuator demonstrates the ability to perform complex motions, such as reversing and parking. This work offers new insights into the design and application of LCEs with reduced phase transition temperatures and enhanced self-driving capabilities.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Open Research
Data Availability Statement
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Supporting Information
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