Photothermal Diol for NIR-Responsive Liquid Crystal Elastomers
Yilin Guo, Na Liu, Qiang Cao, Cheng Xu, Peng Zhang, Qingqing Guan, Wei Zheng, Guomei He, Jiangxi Chen
Abstract
Near-infrared-responsive liquid crystal elastomers are very interesting intelligent deformable materials, which have been intensively studied in many fields such as bionics, actuators, and microrobots. However, the organic near-infrared substances used in liquid crystal elastomers are still limited. Herein, we have synthesized a near-infrared light-absorbing diol, which has a strong absorption in the range of 700–900 nm and excellent photothermal stability under near-infrared irradiation (808 nm). Subsequently, a polyurethane-based liquid crystal elastomer has been developed. The obtained elastomer has displayed excellent deformation ability while responding to the near-infrared stimulus. Our study expands on the NIR-responsive substances that can be used to prepare near-infrared-responsive liquid crystal elastomers.