Work

Liquid Crystal Elastomer Microfiber Actuators Prepared by Melt-Centrifugal Technology

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Fiber actuators underpin soft robots, artificial muscles, and smart textiles. A persistent bottleneck is the fabrication of monodomain liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) microfibers with narrow size distributions while preserving axial alignment. This work establishes a melt-centrifugal spinning (MCS) route with two-step UV fixation that separates flow-induced alignment from network crosslinking. High-speed rotation creates a long extensional jet; an obliquely incident, on-the-fly UV dose at touchdown locks the director, and a post-cure consolidates the network. The obtained LCE microfiber can achieve large reversible contraction (L/L0 = 0.56), lift a weight, and trigger the tweezers. The method produces a new approach for the fabrication of device-ready LCE actuators, establishes a general design principle for diameter control via curing sequence, and opens a practical path toward artificial muscles and flexible micro robotics.

Source: Actuators

DOI: 10.3390/act15020093

Authors: Wei Liao, Chenglin Jia, Zhongqiang Yang

Institutions: Beijing Institute of Aeronautical Materials, Tsinghua University

Language: English

Topic: Advanced Materials and Mechanics

Subfield: Mechanical Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,896

Funder: National Natural Science Foundation of China