Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
The preparation of thermoresponsive fibers made from a crosslinked liquid‐crystalline (LC) side‐chain polymer is presented. For this, an LC polyacrylate with side‐on attached mesogens and crosslinkable units is synthesized and processed in solution in a microfluidic co‐flowing device. Due to the high viscosity of the polymer and the reduced interfacial tension between the dispersed polymer solution and the immiscible ambient fluid, it becomes possible to produce and stabilize a liquid jet against its breaking into droplets, even at low shear rates. The polymer jet is finally stabilized in the capillary by UV‐initiated photopolymerization leading to well‐oriented, crosslinked LC fibers. If the crosslinking density in these fibers is moderate (LCEs), contractions of several 100% can be observed at the nematic–isotropic phase transition.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Fleischmann et al. (2014) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 10 related papers. Consider them for comparative context: