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Biocompatible liquid-crystal elastomers mimic the intervertebral disc

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmbbm.2020.103757

Shaha, Rajib K. ; Merkel, Daniel R. ; Anderson, Mitchell P. ; Devereaux, Emily J. ; Patel, Ravi R. ; Torbati, Amir H. ; Willett, Nick ; Yakacki, Christopher M. ; Frick, Carl P. ( July 2020 , Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials)

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Crosslinker length dictates step-growth hydrogel network formation dynamics and allows rapid on-chip photoencapsulation

https://doi.org/10.1088/1758-5090/ab7ef4

Jiang, Zhongliang ; Shaha, Rajib ; McBride, Ralph ; Jiang, Kun ; Tang, Mingchen ; Xu, Bang ; Goroncy, Alexander K. ; Frick, Carl ; Oakey, John ( April 2020 , Biofabrication)
Mechanical energy dissipation in polydomain nematic liquid crystal elastomers in response to oscillating loading

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2019.01.042

Merkel, Daniel R. ; Shaha, Rajib K. ; Yakacki, Christopher M. ; Frick, Carl P. ( March 2019 , Polymer)

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Body‐temperature s hape‐shifting liquid crystal elastomers

https://doi.org/10.1002/app.50136

Shaha, Rajib K. ; Torbati, Amir H. ; Frick, Carl P. ( October 2020 , Journal of Applied Polymer Science)

Abstract
Nematic monodomain liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) undergo efficient temperature‐induced reversible shape‐shifting around the nematic‐isotropic transition temperature (T_ni) due to the presence of the liquid‐crystalline order of mesogens. Usually, theT_niof nematic LCEs is much higher than the human body temperature, and therefore LCEs are not often considered for biomedical applications. This study describes an LCE system where theT_niis tuned by substitution of the rigid mesogens RM257 with a flexible backbone PEGDA250. By systematically substituting the RM257 with PEGDA250, theT_niof LCEs was observed to decrease from 66°C to 23°C. A rate‐optimized LCE material was fabricated with 10 mol % rigid mesogens substituted with a flexible backbone that demonstratedT_niat 32°C, in‐between the room temperature of 20°C and the body temperature of 37°C. TheT_niallowed the programmed shape at room temperature, quick shape‐shifting upon exposure to body temperature, and before‐programmed shape when kept at body temperature. This LCE material displayed reversible length change of 23%, opacity change, and shape change between room temperature and body temperature.

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