Conductive Liquid Crystal Elastomers Enabled by Deep Eutectic Solvent for Temperature Warning Systems

Liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) have garnered significant attention for their potential in applications, such as soft robotics, electronic sensors, and wearable electronics. However, achieving electrical conductivity while preserving their intrinsic stimulus-responsive deformation remains a key challenge. To address this issue, we have designed and developed a kind of conductive LCEs by incorporating polymerizable deep eutectic solvent (PDES) as a conductive component within LCE substrates. The resultant LCEs exhibit ionic conductivity (σ) ranging from 5.36 × 10-4 S·cm-1 ± 1.16 × 10-6 S·cm-1 to 8.19 × 10-4 S·cm-1 ± 1.55 × 10-6 S·cm-1 and demonstrate fully reversible thermotropic deformation with substantial maximum shrinkage strain. Leveraging the exceptional thermally actuated contraction behavior and intrinsic electrical conductivity, we engineer a temperature-responsive electrical switching device capable of executing programmable circuit switching operations through temperature-controlled on/off state transitions. This work overcomes the limitations of traditional flexible materials in smart response and electrical signal interaction, providing an innovative direction for the design of next-generation smart materials.