Order and frustration play an important role in liquid-crystalline polymer networks (elastomers). The first part of this review is concerned with elastomers in the nematic state and starts with a discussion of nematic polymers, the properties of which are strongly determined by the anisotropy of the polymer backbone. Neutron scattering and X-ray measurements provide the basis for a description ...

Soft and flexible strain sensors are becoming popular for many robotic applications. This article presents a stretchable capacitive sensor by combining conductive filler of carbon black with elastomers implementing shielding to reduce parasitic interference, applied an underactuated hand. Sensors different configurations were explored. The results show that shield introduced the does have some ...

Combining conductive fillers like carbon black with elastomers allows the development of soft elastomer strain sensors that can reach very large elongations, an important requirement for many robotic applications. However, when filler is introduced in polymer, significant stiffening occurs, affecting mechanical properties, e.g. Young’s Modulus, structure. In this attempt, single piezoresistive ...

Liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) are becoming increasingly popular as a shape memory material for soft robot actuators that operate in contractile or flexural mode. There have been previously studies on the use of LCEs reversible changes surface topography. However, protrusions typically limited to order 1 μm depend light, heat, electrical stimulation difficult locally control require relativel...

This paper presents multifunctional electronic skin (e-Skin) with a stack of pressure and temperature sensors arrays. The sensor layer comprises an 8x 8 array capacitive using soft elastomers as the dielectric medium sensing 4 x4 conductive polymers based resistive sensors. Three variants were developed two different materials (PDMS Ecoflex) to find best combination performance softness. Ecofle...

Elastomers or rubbers are materials used in a large range of industrial and household applications. A common physical-chemical treatment is curing (crosslinking), imparting the rubber mechanical and thermal stability. Elastomers show low thermal conductivity values, and therefore, require complex and high cost heating methods; thus, the ionizing (accelerated electrons) method shows high interes...

Changing the orientational order in liquid-crystal elastomers leads to internal stresses and changes of the sample shape. When this effect is induced by light, due to photoisomerization of constituent molecular moieties, the photomechanical actuation results. We investigate quantitatively how the intensity and the polarization of light affect photoactuation. By studying dissolved, as well as co...