Abstract This paper describes the preparation, physical properties, and electric bending actuation of a new class of active materials—ionic liquid crystal elastomers (iLCEs). It is demonstrated that iLCEs can be actuated by low‐frequency AC or DC voltages of less than 1 V. The bending strains of the unoptimized first iLCEs are already comparable to the well‐developed ionic electroactive polymers. Additionally, iLCEs exhibit several novel and superior features, such as the alignment that increases the performance of actuation, the possibility of preprogrammed actuation patterns at the level of the cross‐linking process, and dual (thermal and electric) actuations in hybrid samples. Since liquid crystal elastomers are also sensitive to magnetic fields and can also be light sensitive, iLCEs have far‐reaching potentials toward multiresponsive actuations that may have so far unmatched properties in soft robotics, sensing, and biomedical applications.
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Flexo-Ionic Effect of Ionic Liquid Crystal Elastomers
The first study of the flexo-ionic effect, i.e., mechanical deformation-induced electric signal, of the recently discovered ionic liquid crystal elastomers (iLCEs) is reported. The measured flexo-ionic coefficients were found to strongly depend on the director alignment of the iLCE films and can be over 200 µC/m. This value is orders of magnitude higher than the flexo-electric coefficient found in insulating liquid crystals and is comparable to the well-developed ionic polymers (iEAPs). The shortest response times, i.e., the largest bandwidth of the flexo-ionic responses, is achieved in planar alignment, when the director is uniformly parallel to the substrates. These results render high potential for iLCE-based devices for applications in sensors and wearable micropower generators.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1750011
- PAR ID:
- 10310755
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Molecules
- Volume:
- 26
- Issue:
- 14
- ISSN:
- 1420-3049
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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