# Liquid Crystal Elastomers ## expand\_more #### ✨ Liquid Crystal Elastomers ✨ Biological organisms can adapt with respect to their environments by exploiting a wide range of pre-determined and self-regulated motions. These reconfigurations allow organisms to dynamically tune material properties such as adhesion, wettability, and coloration. In contrast, artificial materials often lack the adaptive responses observed in natural systems and are limited by their reliance on multi-material designs. This restricts the range of their deformation behaviors and functionalities. An adaptive material with molecular scale programmability would provide opportunities for the rational design of next generation responsive materials, and potentially transform areas ranging from artificial muscles to self-cleaning surfaces and homeostatic systems. Liquid crystal elastomers (LCE) are a promising materials to achieve the desired programmability and deformation capabilities. LCEs consist of anisotropic molecules known as mesogens covalently bound to a polymeric background material (the elastomer). On their own, mesogens behave as liquid crystals (LC), i.e. they can be aligned into a variety of LC phases such as nematic, smectic, and chiral nematic. As the mesogen alignment is coupled to the extension of the elastomer, molecular scale reconfigurations will lead to macroscopic changes. ![LCE components](/sites/g/files/omnuum6296/files/styles/hwp_1_1__720x720_scale/public/aizenberg/files/lce_explain.png?itok=gK7RI84v) A variety of approaches have been developed to prescribe the alignment of the mesogens. In the Aizenberg group, we typically employ magnetic fields to impose the liquid crystal director. This method can be applied to and programmed within any 3D shape, thereby allowing us to encode macroscopic deformation modes at the molecular level, which can then be read out upon application of external stimuli. The molecular-to-macroscopic coupling can be designed at the molecular level through the choice of mesogen and elastomer at the molecular level, as well as other aspects such as crosslinking density, characteristics of the stimulus, etc. This ‘plug-and-play’ opportunity makes LCE-based materials a versatile platform to create biomimetic structures with a palette of responses and functions. In the Aizenberg group, we have used magnetically aligned LCEs to create a variety of multiresponsive microstructures such as microposts, microplates, interconnected cellular structures, and closely spaced arrays. We are interested in furthering our fundamental understanding of self-regulated systems, as well as expanding these designs into applications such as autonomous multimodal actuators in switchable adhesives, information encryption, autonomous antennae, energy harvesting systems, soft robots, and smart buildings. This research is highly interdisciplinary and brings together a team of synthetic chemists, physicists, and mechanical engineers, both theorists and experimentalists. Experimental techniques include organic synthesis, confocal microscopy, and regular trips to the synchroton at Brookhaven National Labs to perform x-ray scattering experiments to gain insight into the molecular organization under various conditions. Theoretical/comutational approaches include analytical theory and finite element simulations. **Contacts:** Milan Wilborn, Friedrich (Fritz) Stricker, Jacopo Movilli, Hamed Almohammadi, Reena Paink Publications ## Publications Download 5 citations download- [BibTeX](/bibcite/export?pager_style=no_pager&number_of_items=12&sort_field=bibcite_year--desc&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_affiliated_authors%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_project%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_publicationgroupaffi%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_researchtopics12%5D%5B0%5D%5Btarget_id%5D=179246&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_year123456%5D&&&format=bibtex) - [EndNote X3 XML](/bibcite/export?pager_style=no_pager&number_of_items=12&sort_field=bibcite_year--desc&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_affiliated_authors%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_project%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_publicationgroupaffi%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_researchtopics12%5D%5B0%5D%5Btarget_id%5D=179246&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_year123456%5D&&&format=endnote8) - [EndNote 7 XML](/bibcite/export?pager_style=no_pager&number_of_items=12&sort_field=bibcite_year--desc&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_affiliated_authors%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_project%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_publicationgroupaffi%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_researchtopics12%5D%5B0%5D%5Btarget_id%5D=179246&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_year123456%5D&&&format=endnote7) - [Endnote tagged](/bibcite/export?pager_style=no_pager&number_of_items=12&sort_field=bibcite_year--desc&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_affiliated_authors%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_project%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_publicationgroupaffi%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_researchtopics12%5D%5B0%5D%5Btarget_id%5D=179246&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_year123456%5D&&&format=tagged) - [Marc](/bibcite/export?pager_style=no_pager&number_of_items=12&sort_field=bibcite_year--desc&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_affiliated_authors%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_project%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_publicationgroupaffi%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_researchtopics12%5D%5B0%5D%5Btarget_id%5D=179246&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_year123456%5D&&&format=marc) - [PubMedId](/bibcite/export?pager_style=no_pager&number_of_items=12&sort_field=bibcite_year--desc&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_affiliated_authors%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_project%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_publicationgroupaffi%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_researchtopics12%5D%5B0%5D%5Btarget_id%5D=179246&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_year123456%5D&&&format=pubmed_id) - [RIS](/bibcite/export?pager_style=no_pager&number_of_items=12&sort_field=bibcite_year--desc&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_affiliated_authors%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_project%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_publicationgroupaffi%5D&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_researchtopics12%5D%5B0%5D%5Btarget_id%5D=179246&taxonomy_filters%5Bfield_hwp_c_year123456%5D&&&format=ris) ### 2024 Yao Y, Wilborn AM, Lemaire B, Trigka F, Stricker F, Weible AH, Li S, Bennett RKA, Cheung TC, Grinthal A, et al. [Programming liquid crystal elastomers for multistep ambidirectional deformability](/publication/programming-liquid-crystal-elastomers-multistep-ambidirectional-deformability). Science (New York, N.Y.). 2024;386(6726):1161–1168. doi:10.1126/science.adq6434 Yao Y, Wilborn AM, Lemaire B, Trigka F, Stricker F, Weible AH, Li S, Bennett RKA, Cheung TC, Grinthal A, et al. [Programming liquid crystal elastomers for multistep ambidirectional deformability](/publication/programming-liquid-crystal-elastomers-multistep-ambidirectional-deformability). Science (New York, N.Y.). 2024;386(6726):1161–1168. doi:10.1126/science.adq6434 - add\_circle\_outline do\_not\_disturb\_on Abstract Ambidirectionality, which is the ability of structural elements to move beyond a reference state in two opposite directions, is common in nature. However, conventional soft materials are typically limited to a single, unidirectional deformation unless... Wang S, Li S, Zhao W, Zhou Y, Wang L, Aizenberg J, Zhu P. [Programming hierarchical anisotropy in microactuators for multimodal actuation](/publication/programming-hierarchical-anisotropy-microactuators-multimodal-actuation). Lab on a chip. 2024;24(17):4073–4084. doi:10.1039/d4lc00369a Wang S, Li S, Zhao W, Zhou Y, Wang L, Aizenberg J, Zhu P. [Programming hierarchical anisotropy in microactuators for multimodal actuation](/publication/programming-hierarchical-anisotropy-microactuators-multimodal-actuation). Lab on a chip. 2024;24(17):4073–4084. doi:10.1039/d4lc00369a - add\_circle\_outline do\_not\_disturb\_on Abstract Microactuators, capable of executing tasks typically repetitive, hazardous, or impossible for humans, hold great promise across fields such as precision medicine, environmental remediation, and swarm intelligence. However, intricate motions of... ### 2023 Li S, Aizenberg M, Lerch MM, Aizenberg J. [Programming Deformations of 3D Microstructures: Opportunities Enabled by Magnetic Alignment of Liquid Crystalline Elastomers.](/publication/programming-deformations-3d-microstructures-opportunities-enabled-magnetic-alignment) Accounts of materials research. 2023;4(12):1008–1019. doi:10.1021/accountsmr.3c00101 Li S, Aizenberg M, Lerch MM, Aizenberg J. [Programming Deformations of 3D Microstructures: Opportunities Enabled by Magnetic Alignment of Liquid Crystalline Elastomers.](/publication/programming-deformations-3d-microstructures-opportunities-enabled-magnetic-alignment) Accounts of materials research. 2023;4(12):1008–1019. doi:10.1021/accountsmr.3c00101 - add\_circle\_outline do\_not\_disturb\_on Abstract Synthetic structures that undergo controlled movement are crucial building blocks for developing new technologies applicable to robotics, healthcare, and sustainable self-regulated materials. Yet, programming motion is nontrivial, and particularly at the... Thaggard GC, Park KC, Lim J, Kankanamalage BKPM, Haimerl J, Wilson GR, McBride MK, Forrester KL, Adelson ER, Arnold VS, et al. [Breaking the photoswitch speed limit.](/publication/breaking-photoswitch-speed-limit) Nature communications. 2023;14(1):7556. doi:10.1038/s41467-023-43405-w Thaggard GC, Park KC, Lim J, Kankanamalage BKPM, Haimerl J, Wilson GR, McBride MK, Forrester KL, Adelson ER, Arnold VS, et al. [Breaking the photoswitch speed limit.](/publication/breaking-photoswitch-speed-limit) Nature communications. 2023;14(1):7556. doi:10.1038/s41467-023-43405-w - add\_circle\_outline do\_not\_disturb\_on Abstract The forthcoming generation of materials, including artificial muscles, recyclable and healable systems, photochromic heterogeneous catalysts, or tailorable supercapacitors, relies on the fundamental concept of rapid switching between two or more discrete... ### 2022 Li S, Lerch MM, Waters JT, Deng B, Martens RS, Yao Y, Kim DY, Bertoldi K, Grinthal A, Balazs AC, et al. [Self-regulated non-reciprocal motions in single-material microstructures.](/publication/self-regulated-non-reciprocal-motions-single-material-microstructures) Nature. 2022;605(7908):76–83. doi:10.1038/s41586-022-04561-z Li S, Lerch MM, Waters JT, Deng B, Martens RS, Yao Y, Kim DY, Bertoldi K, Grinthal A, Balazs AC, et al. [Self-regulated non-reciprocal motions in single-material microstructures.](/publication/self-regulated-non-reciprocal-motions-single-material-microstructures) Nature. 2022;605(7908):76–83. doi:10.1038/s41586-022-04561-z - add\_circle\_outline do\_not\_disturb\_on Abstract Living cilia stir, sweep and steer via swirling strokes of complex bending and twisting, paired with distinct reverse arcs. Efforts to mimic such dynamics synthetically rely on multimaterial designs but face limits to programming arbitrary motions or...