Humidity-Responsive Liquid Crystalline Polymer Actuators with an Asymmetry in the Molecular Trigger That Bend, Fold, and Curl
- 17 July 2014
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Chemical Society (ACS) in Journal of the American Chemical Society
- Vol. 136 (30), 10585-10588
- https://doi.org/10.1021/ja505475x
Abstract
We show a versatile method for the preparation of a variety of humidity-responsive actuators based on a single sheet of a hydrogen-bonded, uniaxially aligned liquid crystal polymer network. In this approach, the asymmetry in the molecular trigger in the anisotropic polymer film plays a dominant role leading to programmed deformation events. The material is locally treated with a potassium hydroxide solution to create the asymmetry in the responsiveness toward humidity, which allows to prepare actuators that bend, fold, or curl.Keywords
Funding Information
- Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (VICI grant)
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