Liquid crystal elastomers for soft actuators

Abstract

Liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) are a type of responsive materials combining liquid crystal mesogens with polymer networks. The LCEs exhibit outstanding actuation performance responsive to multiple external stimuli and show great potential as soft actuators. However, compared with conventional soft actuators, the LCEs need to be carefully synthesized and a few fabrication methods have been developed. Herein, we highlight the strategies for the material design and manufacturing techniques. Several recent studies on the mechanical design for LCE actuators are overviewed. We further discuss the challenges and future perspectives of the LCE based actuators for soft robots.