Liquid Crystal Elastomers as Dynamic Biomaterials and Artificial Muscles

Liquid crystal elastomers are soft materials that reversibly change shape, much like a biological muscle. We are studying the fundamental properties of these materials and applying them to solve challenges with medical devices. Some of our latest work includes creating dynamic slings to treat urinary incontinence and deploying intracortical electrodes.

Cover image of patterned cracks on a liquid crystal elastomer Snapshots of NIR light responsive CB-LCE composite actuating in air. A CB–LCE sling in a “U” shape, mimicking the mechanism by which mesh slings for stress urinary incontinence support urethra (top). CB-LCE sling widens its radius of curvature after the application of 300 mW/cm2 NIR light for 30 s at a 15 mm distance and reaching a temperature of 43 °C (bottom). Scale bar: 5 mm. Schematic and image of 3D printable liquid crystal elastomers

Key Citations:

Biomaterials, vol. 292, 2022, p. 121912, doi:10.1016/j.biomaterials.2022.121912.

ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, vol. 14, no. 30, 2022, pp. 35087–96, doi:10.1021/acsami.2c07533

Advanced Materials, 2021, p. 2008434, doi:10.1002/adma.202008434

ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, vol. 9, no. 42, 2017, pp. 37332–39, doi:10.1021/acsami.7b11851.