Micro-actuators prepared from liquid crystalline elastomers in a microfluidic setup

Christian Ohm; Christophe Serra; Rudolf Zentel

doi:10.1117/12.848470

12 February 2010 Micro-actuators prepared from liquid crystalline elastomers in a microfluidic setup

Christian Ohm, Christophe Serra, Rudolf Zentel

Proceedings Volume 7618, Emerging Liquid Crystal Technologies V; 76180S (2010) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.848470
Event: SPIE OPTO, 2010, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

In this paper we demonstrate the preparation of monodisperse particles from a liquid crystalline elastomer with a preferred director orientation. For this we use a microfluidic setup to create droplets from a liquid crystalline monomer which are polymerized in the liquid crystalline phase while flowing. When the obtained particles are heated above the transition temperature of the nematic phase, they show a reversible shape change from spherical to cigar-like. We show, that we can control the size as well as the polydispersity of these microactuators. If the particles are prepared in non-flowing conditions, no or an undefined shape change is observed. Particles polymerized in the isotropic phase show no shape deformation as well. Additionally we provide an experimental proof for the stability of these structures versus acidic and basic conditions.

Citation Download Citation

Christian Ohm, Christophe Serra, and Rudolf Zentel "Micro-actuators prepared from liquid crystalline elastomers in a microfluidic setup", Proc. SPIE 7618, Emerging Liquid Crystal Technologies V, 76180S (12 February 2010); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.848470

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