Engineering study demonstrates spatially programmable photoresponsive shape morphing and impact absorption in printed liquid crystal elastomers, highlighting applications in soft robotics.
Key Points
To develop a spatially programmable 4D printing strategy for photoresponsive liquid crystal elastomers that enables localized molecular alignment, versatile actuation, and adaptive impact absorption.
Fabricated monolithic liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) architectures using direct extrusion printing with controlled speed, pressure, temperature, and path geometries to program mesogen alignment.
Conducted finite element simulations to investigate how embedded stress anisotropy and molecular orientation govern actuation strain and shape transformation.
Evaluated near-infrared (NIR) light-triggered photothermal shape shifting from planar to dome geometries to measure adaptive impact and energy dissipation response.
Encoded localized mesogen orientations into single monolithic structures to achieve complex, integrated deformation modes, including bending, twisting, and curling.
Confirmed via finite element analysis that extrusion-programmed molecular alignment dictates actuation strain and anisotropic shape morphing.
Demonstrated dynamic energy dissipation by shifting structures from planar to dome shapes under NIR light, substantially altering mechanical impact response.