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RESEARCH PRODUCT
A thermotropic liquid crystal elastomer micro-actuator with integrated deformable micro-heater
Stefan SchuhladenPatrick ReithRudolf ZentelBilal KhatriDominic RuhR. RixSebastian PetschHans Zappesubject
Phase transitionMaterials scienceLiquid crystal elastomerStroke (engine)Composite materialActuatorElastomerThermotropic crystalDisplacement (fluid)Power (physics)description
We present a liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) actuator with large stroke and fast reaction time. LCEs show a large macroscopic shape change when heated above the phase transition (≈120°C). Buried wafer-level fabricated micro-heaters offer optimal thermal reaction times and compact design of the actuators. A relative length change of λ = 1.28 was obtained with 320 mW power consumption. Heating the device from room temperature takes τrise = 19.7 s, cooling below the phase transition temperature from the fully contracted state needs τfall - 5.6s. We verify that the displacement may be accurately controlled by varying electrical input power.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-01-01 | 2014 IEEE 27th International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) |