3D Printing of Spiropyran-Incorporated Liquid Crystal Elastomers for Programmable Mechanoresponse Behavior
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Mechanoresponsive polymers have received significant attention, due to their potential application in stress and/or strain sensing and damage warning. Spiropyran (SP)-based polymers, which transform into the merocyanine form under mechanical stress, are among the most established. The majority of SP-based polymers investigated so far uses the isotropic polymer matrices such as silicone, polyurethane and poly(methyl methacrylate). In this work, we introduce SP into the anisotropic liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) matrix (SP-LCE) to investigate the linkage between LC alignment and mechanochromic behavior. In particular, the nematic director of SP-LCE is efficiently controlled using direct-ink-writing method. Remarkably, the mechanochromic responses of SP-LCEs can be significantly altered depending on the stretching direction with respect to the nematic director unlike conventional SP-based polymers. This spatial programming ability in the SP-LCE monolith can pave the way for new strain sensors and anti-counterfeiting materials.