Liquid Crystal Elastomer: A Stimuli Responsive Polymer

By Selene Reyes Verhofstad1; NEWT Center2

1. Pasadena ISD, Pasadena, TX 2. NanoEnabled Water Treatment (NEWT) ERC

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Category

Online Presentations

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Abstract

This whiteboard video is designed to engage K-12 students in high-level nanotechnology research. 

Liquid Crystals (LCs) 

  • Commonly used in LCDs, calculator screens, tablets
  • State of matter between solid and liquid
  • Contains molecules shaped like rods to encourage alignment
  • The simplest phase is the Nematic which has orientation but no positional order

Liquid Crystals Elastomers (LCEs)

  • Polymers that exhibit LC order and elasticity of soft materials such as rubbers
  • The LC alignment enables reversible contraction and expansion when heated above or below it’s transition temperature, TNI
  • Currently, LCEs have a TNIof about 75°C

Credits

Rafael Verduzco, Rice - Lab PI 

Morgan Barnes, Rice - Graduate Mentor 

Sponsored by

NSF NEWT EEC-1406885

Cite this work

Researchers should cite this work as follows:

  • Selene Reyes Verhofstad, NEWT Center (2021), "Liquid Crystal Elastomer: A Stimuli Responsive Polymer," https://nanohub.org/resources/34708.

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Tags

  1. crystals
  2. Elastomer
  3. Engineering Research Center (ERC)
  4. liquid crystals
  5. NanoEnabled Water Treatment (NEWT) ERC
  6. nanotechnology general