Programmable and Self-Healable Liquid Crystal Elastomer Actuators Based on Halogen Bonding

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A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä

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2023-10-23

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en

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Angewandte Chemie - International Edition, Volume 62, issue 43

Abstract

Shape-changing polymeric materials have gained significant attention in the field of bioinspired soft robotics. However, challenges remain in versatilizing the shape-morphing process to suit different tasks and environments, and in designing systems that combine reversible actuation and self-healing ability. Here, we report halogen-bonded liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) that can be arbitrarily shape-programmed and that self-heal under mild thermal or photothermal stimulation. We incorporate halogen-bond-donating diiodotetrafluorobenzene molecules as dynamic supramolecular crosslinks into the LCEs and show that these relatively weak crosslinks are pertinent for their mechanical programming and self-healing. Utilizing the halogen-bonded LCEs, we demonstrate proof-of-concept soft robotic motions such as crawling and rolling with programmed velocities. Our results showcase halogen bonding as a promising, yet unexplored tool for the preparation of smart supramolecular constructs for the development of advanced soft actuators.

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Funding Information: This work is supported by the European Research Council (Consolidator Grant project MULTIMODAL, agreement no 101045223 for A. P.; Starting Grant project ONLINE, agreement no. 101076207 for H. Z.). We acknowledge financial support from the Academy of Finland, provided through Academy Postdoctoral Researcher projects (No. 347201 for H. G. and No. 340103 for T. P. R.) and Academy Research Fellowship project (No. 321443 and 328942) for B. P. This work is conducted as part of the Academy of Finland Center of Excellence “Life‐Inspired Hybrid Materials Research” (LIBER, No. 346107) and the Academy of Finland Flagship Programme on Photonics Research and Innovation (PREIN, No. 320165). T. P. R acknowledges the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska‐Curie grant agreement No. 101022777. This work made use of Tampere Microscopy Center facilities at Tampere University and OtaNano‐Nanomicroscopy Center at Aalto University (Aalto‐NMC), and computing time from CSC‐IT center for science. We thank Dr. Ville Liljeström for the help with SAXS Characterization. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Authors. Angewandte Chemie International Edition published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.

Keywords

Halogen Bond, Liquid Crystal Elastomer, Programmable, Self-Healing, Soft Actuator

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Citation

Guo, H, Liang, C, Ruoko, T P, Meteling, H, Peng, B, Zeng, H & Priimagi, A 2023, ' Programmable and Self-Healable Liquid Crystal Elastomer Actuators Based on Halogen Bonding ', Angewandte Chemie - International Edition, vol. 62, no. 43, e202309402 . https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202309402