Programming hierarchical anisotropy in microactuators for multimodal actuation
Research output: Journal Publications and Reviews › RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal › peer-review
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Detail(s)
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 4073-4084 |
Journal / Publication | Lab on a Chip |
Volume | 24 |
Issue number | 17 |
Online published | 8 Aug 2024 |
Publication status | Published - 7 Sept 2024 |
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Abstract
Microactuators, capable of executing tasks typically repetitive, hazardous, or impossible for humans, hold great promise across fields such as precision medicine, environmental remediation, and swarm intelligence. However, intricate motions of microactuators normally require high complexity in design, making it increasingly challenging to realize at small scales using existing fabrication techniques. Taking inspiration from the hierarchical-anisotropy principle found in nature, we program liquid crystalline elastomer (LCE) microactuators with multimodal actuation tailored to their molecular, shape, and architectural anisotropies at (sub)nanometer, micrometer, and (sub)millimeter scales, respectively. Our strategy enables diverse deformations with individual LCE microstructures, including expanding, contracting, twisting, bending, and unwinding, as well as re-programmable shape transformations of assembled LCE architectures with negative Poisson's ratios, locally adjustable actuation, and changing from two-dimensional (2D) to three-dimensional (3D) structures. Furthermore, we design tetrahedral microactuators with well-controlled mobility and precise manipulation of both solids and liquids in various environments. This study provides a paradigm shift in the development of microactuators, unlocking a vast array of complexities achievable through manipulation at each hierarchical level of anisotropy. © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2024.
Citation Format(s)
Programming hierarchical anisotropy in microactuators for multimodal actuation. / Wang, Shiyu; Li, Shucong; Zhao, Wenchang et al.
In: Lab on a Chip, Vol. 24, No. 17, 07.09.2024, p. 4073-4084.
In: Lab on a Chip, Vol. 24, No. 17, 07.09.2024, p. 4073-4084.
Research output: Journal Publications and Reviews › RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal › peer-review