Programming 4D liquid crystalline elastomers using continuous liquid interface printing (CLIP)

Project Description

Liquid crystalline elastomers (LCEs) are stimuli-responsive materials that undergo large deformation in response to heat or light. The shape-changing properties of these materials are derived from the disruption of order between liquid crystalline molecules in a polymer network. Therefore, fabrication of LCEs requires processing steps that align the liquid crystalline molecules within the network. Here, we propose leveraging shear alignment of liquid crystalline mesogens via continuous liquid interface printing (CLIP). During printing, monomer resin flows underneath the platform to continuously supply new reactive components that are polymerized in patterns programmed by UV light. When using liquid crystalline monomers as the print resin, the mesogens will align to the direction of flow and can be polymerized with this orientation as the 3D structure evolves, resulting in freestanding, complex parts with programmed anisotropy for stimulus-responsive shape change.

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