Control of the Properties of Micrometer‐Sized Actuators from Liquid Crystalline Elastomers Prepared in a Microfluidic Setup |
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Authors: | Christian Ohm Eva‐Kristina Fleischmann Isabelle Kraus Christophe Serra Rudolf Zentel |
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Affiliation: | 1. Johannes Gutenberg‐University Mainz, Duesbergweg 10‐14, 55099 Mainz (Germany), Graduate School Materials Science in Mainz, Staudinger Weg 9, 55099 Mainz, Germany;2. Institut de Physique et Chimie des Matériaux de Strasbourg, UMR 7504, CNRS ‐, Université de Strasbourg, 23 rue du Loess, 67034 Strasbourg Cedex 2, (France);3. Laboratoire d’Ingénierie des Polymères pour les Hautes, Technologies (LIPHT) – EAc(CNRS) 4379, école Européenne de Chimie, Polymères et Matériaux (ECPM), Université de Strasbourg, 25 rue Becquerel, 67087 Strasbourg, (France) |
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Abstract: | In this article new results on the preparation of monodisperse particles from a liquid crystalline elastomer in a microfluidic setup are presnted. For this, droplets from a liquid crystalline monomer are prepared in a microfluidic device and polymerized while they are flowing inside a microtube. The particles obtained by this method possess an internal orientation, which gives them actuating properties. When they are heated into the isotropic phase of the liquid crystalline material they show a reversible change in shape whereby they change their length in one direction by almost 100%. It is shown how the variation of experimental parameters during their synthesis impacts the properties of these micro‐actuators. Influence over their primal shape, the strength of their shape changing properties, their size, and their mechanical properties is demontrated. From the systematic variation of experimental parameters a deep understanding of the complex processes taking place in a flowing droplet of a liquid crystalline material is obtainted. Additionally NMR analysis and swelling experiments on these actuating materials are provided. |
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Keywords: | actuators liquid crystals microfluidics self‐assembly stimuli‐responsive materials |
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