Repository logo
 

Reprocessable Thermoset Soft Actuators.

Accepted version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

Change log

Abstract

Widely used traditional thermosets are good candidates for construction of 3D soft actuators because of their excellent stability; however, it is generally acknowledged that they cannot be reprocessed. The time-temperature equivalence principle enables reprocessing of traditional liquid crystalline epoxy thermosets (LCETs) into 3D soft actuators. Even though the transesterification reaction of LCETs is extremely slow, it is fast enough to induce a topology rearrangement and subsequent reprocessing when prolonging the transesterification time according to aforementioned principle. Therefore, LCETs can be aligned by a simple procedure. The alignment is quite stable at high temperature and remains after more than 1000 heating-cooling actuation cycles. The resulting 3D soft actuators are remouldable, reprogrammable, reconfigurable, weldable, self-healable, recyclable, and stable, which is impossible for any traditional thermosets and is therefore a compelling advance in terms of the applications open to 3D soft actuators.

Description

Keywords

liquid crystalline thermosets, reprogramming and welding, stable alignment, time-temperature equivalence principle, transesterification

Journal Title

Angew Chem Int Ed Engl

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

1433-7851
1521-3773

Volume Title

58

Publisher

Wiley

Rights

All rights reserved