Electrically tunable diffractive optical elements are presented based on two approaches: tunable and switchable DOE and DFB lasers based on holographically patterned LC-polymer composites and on surface relief gratings connected with dielectric elastomer actuator (DEA).

The development of nanocellulose (CNCs) chiral liquid crystal photonic elastomeric vitrimer materials is promising for achieving needed reduction in carbon emissions (elastomer material recycling) and developing novel functional materials. primary questions discussed are about what the basic principle property CNCs, how to design elastomer materials, general approach designing CNC mechanosensit...

Currently, additive manufacturing is utilized to fabricate many different actuators suited for soft robots. However, an effective controller paradigm essential benefit from the advantages of robots in terms power consumption, production costs, weight, and safety while operating near living systems. In this work, artificial muscle additively manufactured with silicone elastomer material capable ...

Liquid crystalline elastomers (LCEs) exhibit a number of remarkable physical effects, including the unique, high-stroke reversible mechanical actuation when triggered by external stimuli. This article reviews some recent exciting developments in the field of LCE materials with an emphasis on their utilization in actuator applications. Such applications include artificial muscles, industrial man...

Liquid crystalline elastomers (LCEs) exhibit a number of remarkable physical effects, including a uniquely high-stroke reversible mechanical actuation triggered by external stimuli. Fundamentally, all such stimuli affect the degree of liquid crystalline order in the polymer chains cross-linked into an elastic network. Heat and the resulting thermal actuation act by promoting entropic disorder, ...

The creasing instability of elastomer films under compression is studied by a combination of experiment and numerical simulation. Experimentally, we attach a stress-free film on a much thicker and stiffer pre-stretched substrate. When the substrate is partially released, the film is uniaxially compressed, leading to formation of an array of creases beyond a critical strain. The profile of the f...

Refrigeration effects can be obtained from elastomers classified as “ideal rubber” by operating over a cycle similar to that of the Carnot cycle. The interesting properties of ideal rubber have long been recognized, with most investigations of potential thermodynamic cycles devoted to power cycles. This paper focuses on the development of refrigeration cycles constructed from ideal rubber refri...