Title: Soft Actuators Based on Liquid-Crystalline Elastomers

Author: Yanlei Yu*, Tomiki Ikeda*

Journal: Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2006, 45, 5416-5418. (Highlight article)

Abstract:

Liquid-crystalline elastomers (LCEs) show promise in applications as soft actuators, with advantages such as large deformations and high-speed, two- (contraction) or three-dimensional (bending) actions. Earlier systems were macroscopic (mm/cm) in size; however, a soft lithography technique called replica molding was recently used to create LCE pillars on the micrometer scale.

Fulltext Link: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/anie.200601760