How Does the Initial Alignment of Mesogens Affect the Photoinduced Bending Behavior of Liquid-Crystalline Elastomers?

摘要

The development of actuators that show bending movement is of increasing interest. The bending movement is usually induced by an asymmetric contraction or expansion in the materials. This type of actuator has more advantages than the actuators that show only two-dimensional movements, such as expansion and contraction, from the viewpoint of precise three-dimensional actuation and long lifetime owing to small deformation for the bending action. Because of these unique properties, the bending actuators are expected to be used for cantilevers, micropumps, and many other micromechanical applications.