%0 Journal Article
%T Multitemperature Memory Actuation of a Liquid Crystal Polymer Network over a Broad Nematic¨CIsotropic Phase Transition Induced by Large Strain
%J -
%D 2018
%R https://doi.org/10.1021/acsmacrolett.8b00089
%X The shape change of a polymer actuator based on liquid crystal network (LCN) generally occurs over a relatively sharp LC-isotropic phase transition. Reported herein is the discovery of an unusual phenomenon and the enabled actuation control for LCN. The smectic phase of a LCN with mesogenic moieties on the chain backbone can be suppressed by high elongation of the specimen, which gives rise to a broad nematic¨Cisotropic phase transition. Consequently, the actuation force and related shape of the actuator can be activated to a given degree by easily varying the temperature over a wide range (35 K for LCN prepared with 500% strain) to adjust the proportion of the order¨Cdisorder phase transition. This reversible multitemperature memory actuation can translate into many stable and interconvertible shapes with one single LCN actuator
%U https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsmacrolett.8b00089