The Polymer Society of Korea

Abstract

While liquid crystals (LCs) are best known for their success in flat-panel displays, their unique anisotropic properties and inherent sensitivity to external stimuli enable them to impart materials intelligence when integrated into various polymeric forms. In this work, we harness the reversible actuation of liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs), which combine the elastic properties of rubber with the anisotropic characteristics of LCs, to develop reconfigurable shape-morphing displays. In particular, we successfully fabricate large-scale, patterned, vertically-aligned LCEs using a simple pressing method followed by mask patterning. By integrating a photothermal array onto the patterned LCEs, we demonstrate programmable and reconfigurable shape-morphing displays capable of rapidly rendering three-dimensional physical information and geometric topologies with controllable height variations.