响应形变液晶高分子的取向方法和功能开发

Alignment methods and function development of deformable liquid crystal polymers

液晶高分子是同时具有液晶各向异性和高分子力学特性的功能高分子。在液晶高分子中引入具有光化学异构化或者光热响应的结构单元,可以使其在光或者热刺激下发生相转变,引发宏观形状变化。通过一步或两步的取向方法可以对液晶高分子中液晶基元的取向方向进行调控,实现材料的变形编程。液晶高分子形态上的变化在仿生软机器人、微流控、柔性执行器、结构色和防伪等领域有潜在的应用价值。本文介绍了液晶高分子主要的取向技术和开发出的基于形状变化的器件功能,并展望了液晶高分子形变材料在高新科技领域的应用前景。

Liquid crystal polymers(LCPs)are functional polymers that have both the orientational order of liquid crystal and mechanical properties of polymers. The introduction of structural units with photochemical isomerization or photothermal response into liquid crystal polymers can make them undergo phase transition under light or thermal stimulation,inducing macroscopic deformation. After LCPs are oriented by onestep or two-step alignment methods,the alignment of the LCPs can be programmed. Shape changing of LCPs has potential applications in the fields of biomimetic soft robots,microfluidics,soft actuators,structural color and anti-counterfeiting. This review introduces the major orientation techniques for liquid crystal polymers and developed shape-change-based functions,and finally,an outlook of LCPs in future technological applications is proposed.