4D Printing of Supramolecular Liquid Crystal Elastomer Actuators Fueled by Light

Autor: Lugger, Sean J. D., Ceamanos, Lorena, Mulder, Dirk Jan, Sánchez-Somolinos, Carlos, Schenning, Albert P. H. J.
Přispěvatelé: Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (España), Agencia Estatal de Investigación (España), European Commission, Diputación General de Aragón, Stimuli-responsive Funct. Materials & Dev., ICMS Core
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2022
Předmět:
Zdroj: Advanced Materials Technologies, 8(5):2201472. Wiley-Blackwell
ISSN: 2020-1184
2365-709X
Popis: Recent years have seen major advances in the additive manufacturing of stimuli-responsive materials, also known as “4D printing,” among which liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) play an important role. However, during fabrication photo-crosslinking of the LCEs is required, but this step is time-consuming and efficient polymerization is challenging, especially in the case of light-responsive materials. In this work, the first light-fueled supramolecular LCEs suitable for the direct ink writing (DIW) of soft actuators are synthesized in which a photopolymerization step is not needed. With the responsive supramolecular material, 3D-printed objects are fabricated by exploiting the thermoreversible interplay of the hydrogen-bonding physical cross-links. After printing, the supramolecular LCE shows reversible shape changes in response to light and is capable of bending and lifting a load. Through the combined photothermal and photochemical contributions of the incorporated azobenzene, the actuators can be triggered both in air and water. The freedom provided by DIW allows for the printing of complex responsive objects, as demonstrated by fabricating re-entrant honeycomb and spiral director structures. This approach of printing light-responsive supramolecular soft actuators opens avenues toward the application of “smart” and sustainable materials for additive manufacturing without the requirement of photo-crosslinking.
This work was funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under grant agreement no. 829010 (PRIME). Funding has also been received from Spanish “Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (MCIU)” through AEI/FEDER(UE) PID2020-118485RB-I00 project, FEDER (EU) and Fondo Social Europeo (DGA E47_20R).
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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