Photo-Controllable Elongation Actuation of Liquid Crystal Elastomer Films with Well-Defined Crease Structures.

Although liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) have demonstrated various applications in artificial muscles and soft robotics, their inherent flexibility and orientation-dependent forces limit their functions. For instance, LCEs can sustain a high actuation force when they contract but cannot elongate to drive loads with large displacements. In this study, we demonstrate that photo-controllable elongation actuation with a large strain can be achieved in polydomain LCEs by programming the crease structures in a well-defined order to couple the actuation forces generated in the creases. Efficient photo-actuation without overheating-induced damage to the materials is favored, based on the well-designed photosensitive molecular switch crosslinker via the synergy of photochemical and photothermal effects. The LCE actuator can jack up heavy loads, elongate freely, and contract back to manipulate distant objects. Theoretical analysis based on a finite element simulation of the deformation energy during the actuation process reveals a trade-off between the abilities of jacking-up and withstanding load. More importantly, this study simplifies the design of a single material with functions inherent only in other soft robotic devices based on the assembly of individual modules, thus providing a design strategy for surpassing instinctive properties of conventional soft materials to expand and enhance the functions of soft robotics. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.