Liquid Crystalline Dielectric Elastomer with Thermo- and Light-guided Multimodal Electrical Actuations

Sha-Fan Xiong; Cheng-Cheng Zhang; Bin-Jie Jin; Bao-Chun Guo

doi:10.1007/s10118-026-3603-z

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Liquid Crystalline Dielectric Elastomer with Thermo- and Light-guided Multimodal Electrical Actuations

RESEARCH ARTICLE | Updated：2026-04-30

- Liquid Crystalline Dielectric Elastomer with Thermo- and Light-guided Multimodal Electrical Actuations
- Chinese Journal of Polymer Science Vol. 44, Issue 5, Pages: 1457-1464(2026)
- Affiliations：
  
  a.Institute of Emergent Elastomers, School of Materials Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China
  b.State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering and Low-carbon Technology, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
- Author bio：
  
  11928059@zju.edu.cn (C.C.Z.)
  binjiejin@scut.edu.cn (B.J.J.)
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1007/s10118-026-3603-z
  CLC：
- Received：31 December 2025，
  
  Revised：2026-01-25，
  
  Accepted：29 January 2026，
  
  Online First：18 March 2026，
  
  Published：05 May 2026
- Accepted：
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Xiong, S. F.; Zhang, C. C.; Jin, B. J.; Guo, B. C. Liquid crystalline dielectric elastomer with thermo- and light-guided multimodal electrical actuations. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2026, 44, 1457–1464

Sha-Fan Xiong, Cheng-Cheng Zhang, Bin-Jie Jin, et al. Liquid Crystalline Dielectric Elastomer with Thermo- and Light-guided Multimodal Electrical Actuations[J]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2026, 44(5): 1457-1464.
Xiong, S. F.; Zhang, C. C.; Jin, B. J.; Guo, B. C. Liquid crystalline dielectric elastomer with thermo- and light-guided multimodal electrical actuations. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2026, 44, 1457–1464 DOI： 10.1007/s10118-026-3603-z.

Sha-Fan Xiong, Cheng-Cheng Zhang, Bin-Jie Jin, et al. Liquid Crystalline Dielectric Elastomer with Thermo- and Light-guided Multimodal Electrical Actuations[J]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2026, 44(5): 1457-1464. DOI： 10.1007/s10118-026-3603-z.

摘要

Azobenzene liquid crystal actuators exhibit thermo- and light-responsive multimodal shape-changing under an electric field.

Abstract

Dielectric elastomers (DEs) actuated

via

the space charge mechanism are characterized by low driving electric fields (2−10 V/μm) and geometry-dependent actuation modes. Liquid crystalline dielectric elastomers (LC-DEs) leverage shape changes induced by thermo-responsive order-disorder transitions to alter their actuation mode with temperature. However

such systems are currently limited to thermal responsiveness and exhibit only two actuation modes-a constraint that stands in stark contrast to the flexibility and diverse actuation capabilities of natural muscles. To overcome this limitation

we present an azobenzene-based liquid crystalline dielectric elastomer (A-LC-DE) capable of multimodal actuation

enabled by its dual thermo- and photo-responsive shape-changing properties. The incorporation of azobenzene moieties allows for mesogen alignment

via

light attenuation during photo-inhibited network formation. This facilitates programmable thermo-responsive shape changes by varying the irradiation conditions during synthesis

thereby enabling two distinct dielectric actuation modes upon heating and cooling. Furthermore

the

trans

cis

photoisomerization of azobenzene endows the A-LC-DE with dynamic

light-responsive shape-changing behavior. This capability allows for the creation of diverse and reconfigurable actuation modes through spatially localized irradiation. As a result

our A-LC-DE exhibits multimodal electrical actuation that can be selectively guided by external thermal and optical stimuli

promising enhanced adaptability for future soft robotic systems.

关键词

Keywords

references

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