Light-driven liquid crystal elastomer actuators operating at ultralow temperatures
발표자
김현성 (중앙대학교)
연구책임자
이창연 (중앙대학교)
초록
내용
Conventional thermo-responsive liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs), which are common actuators, are unable to function in freezing conditions because the phase transitions they rely on occur at elevated temperatures. Here, we present a new LCE actuator capable of operating in extreme cold. The key to this technology is to incorporate a high concentration of photothermal nanomaterials by using a mesogen-assisted exfoliation (MAE) method, which effectively exfoliate and disperse low-dimensional nanomaterials like molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) within the LC matrix. Due to this high concentration, the resulting composite exhibits a remarkable photothermal effect, reaching a local temperature of over 700°C within 3 seconds. This allows the LCE to undergo the necessary phase transition and perform effective thermo-mechanical actuation even in extreme ambient temperatures of -80 °C. This strategy significantly lowers the temperature performance envelope of LCE-based soft actuators and is expected to contribute to the development of robotics for harsh environments.