2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
Monodomain Liquid Crystal Elastomers Prepared Using Microstructure Forming Block Copolymers
| Project/Area Number |
19H02770
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Review Section |
Basic Section 35020:Polymer materials-related
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| Research Institution | Tokyo Institute of Technology |
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Principal Investigator |
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| Project Period (FY) |
2019-04-01 – 2023-03-31
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| Keywords | 液晶性高分子 / エラストマー / ブロック共重合体 |
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| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
Monodomain liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) have been prepared using liquid crystal block copolymers (LCBCPs) consisting of a nematic liquid crystal (NLC) main-chain polyester linked to cross-linkable polymethacrylate (PMA) at both ends. The LCBCPs were stretched in one direction and illuminated by UV light, yielding strips of monodomain LCEs composed of the LCBCP with the PMA blocks crosslinked via the thiol-ene reaction between the allyl moieties incorporated in the PMA segments and the thiol moieties. The NLC polyester with the LC director lying along the stretching direction (SD) was segregated from the crosslinked PMA block to form a lamellar microstructure. Rising the temperature caused the strips to decrease the LC orientational order. The strips fixed at one end contracted reversibly by a factor of 1.2-1.4 along the SD, deforming the microstructure. Those fixed at both ends increased the tensile stress to ~200 kPa while maintaining the microstructure unchanged.
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| Free Research Field |
高分子科学
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| Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements |
高齢化社会では多種多様な人体の動作を支援する細やかかつしなやかに動作する機器の需要が見込まれ，その機械要素として，外部刺激で形状がコントロールできる材料が注目を浴びている．そのような材料のの１つにモノドメイン液晶エラストマー(MDLCE)がある．MDLCEは，一様に配向した高分子液晶に架橋を施したエラストマーである．その調製法は複雑で煩雑なものである．本研究では，液晶性高分子に架橋可能な非晶鎖を結合してミクロ相分離させ，その構造を配向させたのちに架橋することでMDLCEが簡便に調製できる方法を確立した．
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