POS4-1218
Fabrication of Negative-Order Liquid Crystal Elastomer Shells for Thermal Actuation
Topic
S4. Colloids, Interfaces, and Molecular Assemblies for Functional Soft Materials
When and Where
Oct 1, 2026
08:30 - 09:30
Room 301 (Grand Ballroom)
Session Chairs
Jinkee HONG
Ki Su KIM
Presenter(s)
Dayeon Jeong (Kyungpook National University)
Co-Author(s)
Abstract
Liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) shells are three-dimensional soft actuators that undergo reversible shape deformation driven by the nematic–isotropic phase transition. In this study, negative-order LCE shells were fabricated using a double-emulsion microfluidic system based on a conventional two-step polymerization approach. To suppress crystallization while maintaining liquid crystalline properties, an acrylate-terminated short oligomer was employed as the liquid crystalline precursor. A partially crosslinked LCE network was first formed by thiol–Michael addition during shell formation, while the remaining acrylate groups were subsequently polymerized by UV post-curing. During solvent exchange, osmotic swelling established a negative-order molecular alignment, which was preserved by the post-cured LCE network. The molecular alignment was characterized by polarized optical microscopy equipped with a λ-retardation plate. Upon heating, the shells contracted as the liquid crystalline phase transformed into the isotropic state, whereas they expanded upon cooling with the recovery of the nematic order. The fabricated LCE shells exhibited reversible thermally induced actuation during repeated heating and cooling cycles, providing an effective strategy for realizing negative-order LCE shell actuators.
