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Photoluminescent Nematic Liquid Crystalline Elastomer with a Thermomechanical Emission Variation Function
Author(s) -
Wei Renbo,
He Yaning,
Wang Xiaogong,
Keller Patrick
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
macromolecular rapid communications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.348
H-Index - 154
eISSN - 1521-3927
pISSN - 1022-1336
DOI - 10.1002/marc.201400264
Subject(s) - materials science , photoluminescence , liquid crystal , elastomer , deformation (meteorology) , composite material , dopant , polymerization , light emission , lithography , optoelectronics , optics , polymer , doping , physics
Nematic liquid crystalline elastomer (LCE) microactuators are developed, showing simultaneous thermomechanical deformation and photoluminescence (PL) emission variation functions. The microactuators are prepared by a method combining soft‐lithography and photo‐polymerization/crosslinking. 1,4‐Bis(α‐cyano‐4‐methoxystyryl)benzene as the PL dye is synthesized, characterized, and introduced into LCEs as a dopant in the preparation process. During the heating process, PL emission of the LCE micropillars under blue light excitation becomes significantly weak when the micropillars contract. When cooling down, the emission completely recovers as the micropillars stretches back to their original shape. The PL intensity variation at the transition is proved to be related to the thermomechanical deformation.