Photo‐Crosslinked Side‐Chain Liquid‐Crystalline Elastomers for Microsystems

Abstract Photo‐crosslinkable side‐chain liquid‐crystalline polymers (LCPs) containing photoreactive benzophenone cores are synthesized in order to obtain their corresponding side‐chain liquid‐crystalline elastomers (LCEs). This strategic synthesis allows thin elastomeric films and their integration into microsystems for actuators and micromachines to be obtained. As an example of this principle, a gripper was developed. The position of its arms can be changed by applying voltages from 1.5 to 3.5 V at different rates. Small changes in the liquid‐crystalline elastomer film cause strains of up to 150% in the microdevice and the capacity to move up to 400 times its own mass due to the nematic‐to‐isotropic transformation. magnified image