CAREER: Experimental and Theoretical Studies of Mechanics Interacting with Electric/Optical Fields in Liquid Crystal Elastomers

职业：液晶弹性体中与电场/光场相互作用的力学实验和理论研究

• 批准号: 1554212
• 负责人: Shengqiang Cai
• 金额: $ 50万
• 依托单位: University of California-San Diego
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2016-04-01 至 2022-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1554212&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CAREER; Experimental; Theoretical; Studies; Mechanics

This Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) project will investigate coupling phenomena in liquid crystal elastomers, a combination of liquid crystal molecules and polymer networks. Liquid crystal elastomers have many special properties which have led to diverse applications ranging from artificial muscles to stretchable optical devices. Because of the complex molecular structure, many phenomena observed in liquid crystal elastomers are still elusive and the unique properties of liquid crystal elastomers have not been fully explored. This research will develop an innovative and robust technique to fabricate liquid crystal elastomers with desired properties. The PI will also formulate a mechanics theory of liquid crystal elastomers with large deformations that may be triggered by various external stimuli. The results from the project will promote further development of liquid crystal elastomers for a wide range of applications, such as responsive elements used in soft robotics, active materials used in energy harvesting/conversion systems and soft materials used in various actuators or sensors. Moreover, the impact of the project will be broadened via the integrated education and outreach programs including course development, a mini summer camp and outreach to high school students.The research objective of this multidisciplinary project is to investigate multi-field coupling phenomena in liquid crystal elastomers, using a using a combined theoretical, computational, and experimental approach. We will develop a strain-engineering technique to apply predesigned inhomogeneous strain fields onto a lightly-crosslinked liquid crystal elastomer film during its second-step crosslinking reaction so as to obtain patterned molecular orientations in the material. Combining experiments and theoretical studies, we will further explore the interplay between mechanics and electrical/optical field in liquid crystal elastomers with the target of realizing diverse voltage or light-induced deformation modes in the material. As a result, this research project will result in a better understanding of the behaviors of liquid crystal elastomers, provide mechanistic insights into the dynamic behaviors of biological materials with similar molecular structures and promote new engineering applications of the special material.

该教师早期职业发展（CAREER）项目将研究液晶弹性体（液晶分子和聚合物网络的组合）中的耦合现象。液晶弹性体具有许多特殊性能，导致了从人造肌肉到可拉伸光学设备等多种应用。由于分子结构复杂，在液晶弹性体中观察到的许多现象仍然难以捉摸，液晶弹性体的独特性能尚未得到充分探索。这项研究将开发一种创新且可靠的技术来制造具有所需性能的液晶弹性体。 PI还将制定液晶弹性体的力学理论，该液晶弹性体可能会受到各种外部刺激而引发大变形。该项目的成果将促进液晶弹性体的进一步发展，使其具有广泛的应用，例如软机器人中使用的响应元件、能量收集/转换系统中使用的活性材料以及各种执行器或传感器中使用的软材料。此外，该项目的影响将通过综合教育和推广计划扩大，包括课程开发、迷你夏令营和对高中生的推广。这个多学科项目的研究目标是研究液晶中的多场耦合现象弹性体，采用理论、计算和实验相结合的方法。我们将开发一种应变工程技术，在第二步交联反应期间将预先设计的不均匀应变场应用到轻度交联的液晶弹性体薄膜上，从而在材料中获得图案化的分子取向。结合实验和理论研究，我们将进一步探索液晶弹性体中力学与电/光场之间的相互作用，以实现材料中多种电压或光致变形模式。因此，该研究项目将有助于更好地理解液晶弹性体的行为，为具有相似分子结构的生物材料的动态行为提供机理见解，并促进特殊材料的新工程应用。