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Programming liquid crystal elastomers for multistep ambidirectional deformability

Yao, Yuxing [Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States); Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) (Hong Kong)] (ORCID:0000000303376372)·Wilborn, Atalaya Milan [Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States)] (ORCID:0009000906184967)·Lemaire, Baptiste [Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000267491081)·Trigka, Foteini [Univ. of Groningen (Netherlands)] (ORCID:0000000173771525)·Stricker, Friedrich [Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000273246840)·Weible, Alan H. [The Ohio State Univ., Columbus, OH (United States)] (ORCID:0009000001758882)·Li, Shucong [Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States)] (ORCID:000000034407045X)·Bennett, Robert A. [Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000174278724)·Cheung, Tung Chun [Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States)] (ORCID:0009000493118848)·Grinthal, Alison [Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States)]·Zhernenkov, Mikhail [Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States). National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II)] (ORCID:0000000336040672)·Freychet, Guillaume [Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States). National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II)] (ORCID:000000018406798X)·Wąsik, Patryk [Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States). National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II)] (ORCID:0000000274477472)·Kozinsky, Boris [Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States); Bosch Research, Watertown, MA (United States)] (ORCID:000000020638539X)·Lerch, Michael M. [Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States); Univ. of Groningen (Netherlands)] (ORCID:0000000317650301)·Wang, Xiaoguang [Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States); The Ohio State Univ., Columbus, OH (United States)] (ORCID:0000000240799596)·Aizenberg, Joanna [Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000223438705)
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Abstract

Ambidirectionality, which is the ability of structural elements to move beyond a reference state in two opposite directions, is common in nature. However, conventional soft materials are typically limited to a single, unidirectional deformation unless complex hybrid constructs are used. We exploited the combination of mesogen self-assembly, polymer chain elasticity, and polymerization-induced stress to design liquid crystalline elastomers that exhibit two mesophases: chevron smectic C (cSmC) and smectic A (SmA). Inducing the cSmC-SmA–isotropic phase transition led to an unusual inversion of the strain field in the microstructure, resulting in opposite deformation modes (e.g., consecutive shrinkage or expansion and right-handed or left-handed twisting and tilting in opposite directions) and high-frequency nonmonotonic oscillations. Further, this ambidirectional movement is scalable and can be used to generate Gaussian transformations at the macroscale.

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36 MATERIALS SCIENCE

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Yao, Yuxing [Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States); Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) (Hong Kong)] (ORCID:0000000303376372), Wilborn, Atalaya Milan [Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States)] (ORCID:0009000906184967), Lemaire, Baptiste [Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000267491081), Trigka, Foteini [Univ. of Groningen (Netherlands)] (ORCID:0000000173771525), Stricker, Friedrich [Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000273246840), Weible, Alan H. [The Ohio State Univ., Columbus, OH (United States)] (ORCID:0009000001758882), Li, Shucong [Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States)] (ORCID:000000034407045X), Bennett, Robert A. [Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000174278724), Cheung, Tung Chun [Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States)] (ORCID:0009000493118848), Grinthal, Alison [Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States)], Zhernenkov, Mikhail [Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States). National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II)] (ORCID:0000000336040672), Freychet, Guillaume [Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States). National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II)] (ORCID:000000018406798X), Wąsik, Patryk [Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States). National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II)] (ORCID:0000000274477472), Kozinsky, Boris [Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States); Bosch Research, Watertown, MA (United States)] (ORCID:000000020638539X), Lerch, Michael M. [Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States); Univ. of Groningen (Netherlands)] (ORCID:0000000317650301), Wang, Xiaoguang [Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States); The Ohio State Univ., Columbus, OH (United States)] (ORCID:0000000240799596), Aizenberg, Joanna [Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000223438705). 2024-12-05. Programming liquid crystal elastomers for multistep ambidirectional deformability. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adq6434

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36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗