Photoresponsive Liquid Crystalline Epoxy Networks with Shape Memory Behavior and Dynamic Ester Bonds

Soft shape memory in main-chain liquid crystalline elastomers†‡

Shape memory effect exhibited by smectic-C liquid crystalline elastomers.

It was long expected and recently shown that main-chain liquid crystalline elastomers (MC-LCEs) may serve as high performance soft actuators due to a coupling of their intrinsic characteristics of high, yet labile, ordering and network strain. Here, we present the synthesis of new siloxane-based smectic MC-LCEs. These new materials exhibit a unique thermomechanical behavior known as the shape m...

Synthesis of a photoresponsive liquid-crystalline polymer containing azobenzene.

The synthesis of an oriented liquid-crystalline photoresponsive polymer, prepared by polymerization of mono- and di-acrylates, both of which contain azobenzene chromophores, is reported. The prepared free-standing polymer film shows strong reversible photoinduced deformation upon exposure to unpolarized UV light at 366 nm, as a result of an optically induced isomeric change of the azobenzene mo...

Synthesis and characterization of liquid crystalline epoxy resins

....................................................................................................................... x CHAPTER 1. GENERAL INTRODUCTION ............................................................. 1 1.

Mechanical Behavior of Side-Chain Liquid Crystalline Networks

The mechanical properties of a homologue series of side-chain mesomorphic netM.orks were studied with a piezo-rheometer over frequencies ranging from 10~~