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. 2017 Oct 16;56(43):13436-13439.
doi: 10.1002/anie.201706793. Epub 2017 Sep 22.

A Rewritable, Reprogrammable, Dual Light-Responsive Polymer Actuator

Anne Helene Gelebart  1   2 , Dirk J Mulder  1   3 , Ghislaine Vantomme  2 , Albertus P H J Schenning  1   2   4 , Dirk J Broer  1   2   4
Affiliations

A Rewritable, Reprogrammable, Dual Light-Responsive Polymer Actuator

Anne Helene Gelebart et al. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. .

Abstract

We report on the fabrication of a rewritable and reprogrammable dual-photoresponsive liquid crystalline-based actuator containing an azomerocyanine dye that can be locally converted into the hydroxyazopyridinium form by acid treatment. Each dye absorbs at a different wavelength giving access to programmable actuators, the folding of which can be controlled by using different colors of light. The acidic patterning is reversible and allows the erasing and rewriting of patterns in the polymer film, giving access to reusable, adjustable soft actuators.

Keywords: actuators; liquid crystals; photothermal effects; polymers; soft matter.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
a) Schematic of the reprogrammable and rewritable polymer actuator. The yellow regions contain 1‐HAP and the magenta regions contain 1‐AM. b) Absorption spectra of the splay‐aligned LCN polymer film before (1‐AM) and after (1‐HAP) acid treatment. Insets: The polymer film before and after acid treatment. c) Molecular changes upon acid and base treatment of 1‐AM. d) Example of a pattern achieved with exposure to acidic vapor of a splay‐aligned 1‐AM LCN polymer film. Scale bar=5 mm.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Selective bending of the film before (1‐AM) and after (1‐HAP) acid treatment as a function of light intensity. Each film is exposed to both light of wavelengths, 405 nm and 530 nm. Inset: Method used to calculate the bending angle.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Specific bending of a patterned film. The same film is exposed with 405 nm (left) and 530 nm (right) light. The film specifically bends at the yellow region when exposed to 405 nm and at the magenta region when exposed with 530 nm. When switching off the light, the film unbends to the flat state. At the right of each image a schematic of the patterned film and its bending behavior is shown.
Figure 4
Figure 4
a) AM‐1 splay‐aligned polymer with the planar side at the top. b) The same film locally patterned with acid vapors (top) and exposed to 405 nm. The film bends specifically at the yellow areas (bottom). c) The same film placed in NH4OH to erase the pattern and patterned again with acid vapor yielding differently patterned film (top) showing different bending behavior upon exposure to 405 nm (bottom).
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