Liquid crystalline elastomers (LCEs) are crosslinked polymer networks that combine the
elastic properties of rubber with the anisotropic properties of liquid crystals. Multifunctionality …

Liquid crystal is a state of matter being intermediate between solid and liquid. Liquid crystal
materials exhibit both orientational order and fluidity. While liquid crystals have long been …

Liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) are soft materials capable of large, reversible shape
changes, which may find potential application as artificial muscles, soft robots, and dynamic …

This Review presents and discusses the current state of the art in “exchangeable liquid
crystalline elastomers”, that is, LCE materials utilizing dynamically cross-linked networks …

Liquid crystals are fluids with a directionality defined. Polymers are long molecules with a
shape that can be changed. As a network, polymers form rubber-a soft solid that is locally …

One characteristic feature of soft matter systems is their strong response to external stimuli.
As a consequence they are comparatively easily driven out of their ground state and out of …

Free-standing anisotropic side chain liquid crystalline elastomer films have been prepared
using mesogens with laterally affixed polymerizable side chains. We present data on two …

This paper presents our results on liquid crystal (LC) elastomers as artificial muscle, based
on the ideas proposed by de Gennes. In the theoretical model, the material consists of a …

Synthetic approaches to prepare designer materials that localize deformation, by combining
rigidity and compliance in a single material, have been widely sought. Bottom-up …

The influence of the crosslinking conditions on the phase behaviour and reorientation
processes of nematic elastomers is investigated. Two series of elastomers with various …