Combining responsiveness and durability in liquid crystal-functionalised electrospun fibres with crosslinked sheath

Responsive functional composite fibre mats that are mechanically stable and impervious to water exposure produced by coaxial electrospinning of thermotropic liquid crystal (LC) core inside a water-based solution poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) forming the sheath. Because LCs usually cannot be spun solutions due excessive interfacial tension ?, n enabling step is addition ethanol or dioxane LC as co-solvent compatible with both sheath fluids. This reduces ? sufficiently jet spinning possible. After spinning, thermal cross-linking PVA+PAA yields LC-functionalised fibres can manipulated hand remain intact even upon full immersion in water. The retains its behaviour, nematics showing well-aligned birefringence transitioning isotropic heating above clearing point, cholesterics selective reflection which enhanced removal scattering. Our results pave way producing responsive using durable polymer sheaths, thereby numerous innovative applications wearable technology, they also open new opportunities study confinement, without visible impact container walls.