Active Surfaces Formed in Liquid Crystal Polymer Networks

Mert Astam, Yuanyuan Zhan, Thierry Slot (Corresponding author), Danqing Liu (Corresponding author)

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

7 Citations (Scopus)
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Abstract

There is an increasing interest in animating materials to develop dynamic surfaces. These dynamic surfaces can be utilized for advanced applications, including switchable wetting, friction, and lubrication. Dynamic surfaces can also improve existing technologies, for example, by integrating self-cleaning surfaces on solar cells. In this Spotlight on Applications, we describe our most recent advances in liquid crystal polymer network (LCN) dynamic surfaces, focusing on substrate-based topographies and dynamic porous networks. We discuss our latest insights in the mechanisms of deformation with the “free volume” principle. We illustrate the scope of LCN technology through various examples of photo-/electropatterning, free-volume channeling, oscillating/programmable network distortion, and porous LCNs. Finally, we close by discussing prominent applications of LCNs and their outlook.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)22697-22705
Number of pages9
JournalACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
Volume14
Issue number20
Early online date10 Feb 2022
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 25 May 2022

Funding

We thank The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO OCENW.KLEIN. 10854, START-UP 8872) and the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Grant Agreement 956150 (STORM-BOTS)for financial support.

FundersFunder number
European Union's Horizon 2020 - Research and Innovation Framework Programme956150

    Keywords

    • dynamic surface topographies
    • free volume
    • liquid crystal polymer networks
    • liquid secretion
    • soft robotic functions

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