Twists and Turns in Glassy, Liquid Crystalline Polymer Networks

Three-dimensional shape control is an enabler of dexterous motion in nature. Herein, we report on the thermally initiated out-of-plane (torsional) responses observed in a series of glassy, liquid crystalline polymer networks prepared with a range of cross-link densities. The three-dimensional shape of these materials is strongly dictated by both cross-link density as well as the preparation conditions (polymerization temperature). All of the materials examined herein undergo torsional inversion of the handedness with increasing temperature. The temperature at which the material flattens (crossover between handedness inversion) can be positioned by the polymerization temperature. Monoliths prepared with either multimaterial composition or multidirector orientations are shown to exhibit spatial variation in shape adaptivity.