Alignment control of liquid crystalline elastomer and analysis of bending motion induced by near infrared laser irradiation

Abstract

Liquid crystalline elastomers (LCEs) have both responsivity for the external stimulus responsiveness of LC and flexibility of polymer chains. Therefore, LCEs are expected as soft actuators. By incorporating light-absorbing and heat-releasing fillers in LCE, the macro shape of LCE can be controlled by light irradiation. In this study, a LCE containing gold-coated fine particles was prepared and its bending motion induced by near-infrared laser irradiation was studied. It was observed that in a rectangular sample, the bending displacement was larger when the sample was cutting out perpendicular to the director than cutting out parallel to the director.