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Robert Dupont Dissertation Final.pdf (2.65 MB)

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Advancing liquid crystal elastomers through copolymerization, nanostructures, and templated amorphous polymers

Dupont, Robert Lewis
http://orcid.org/0009-0002-5651-8530
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1713395395498236

Abstract Details

2024, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Chemical Engineering.
Shape memory polymers (SMPs) have seen increased use in soft robotics, actuators, drug delivery, and optics because of their ability to respond to external stimuli in a variety of ways. As a representative class of shape memory polymers, liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) have seen expanded interest in recent years, owing to their unique ability to reversibly deform to stimuli without the need for outside deformations. LCEs rely on liquid crystals (LCs), which are self-aligning, rod-like molecules that exhibit a phase between solids and liquids, for their unique reversibility. There is an opportunity to increase the usefulness of LCEs through copolymerization and the addition of nanostructures on the surface. In addition, traditional LCEs are hampered in some applications, namely biomedical applications, because of the inherent danger many of them pose to cells. This work seeks to improve LCEs in three main ways: copolymerizing LC monomers, creating nanoscopic surface structures, and templating the LC order into non-LC monomers. By copolymerizing different LC monomers together, we were able to provide a new avenue to control the magnitude and direction of LCE deformations. With the addition of densely packed, nanoscopic surface structures, we enhanced the adhesive force of LCE films increasing their utility in soft robotics. Finally, by templating the order of LCs to non-LC monomers, we created LCE-like materials that exhibit kinetically trapped, reversible deformations with polymers that are better suited for biomedical applications. These three thrusts have expanded the design space for LCEs and have introduced new materials and physical properties.
Xiaoguang Wang (Advisor)
Lisa Hall (Committee Member)
Stuart Cooper (Committee Member)
114 p.
Chemical Engineering
liquid crystal elastomers; shape memory polymers; templating; nanostructures; soft robotics

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Dupont, R. L. (2024). Advancing liquid crystal elastomers through copolymerization, nanostructures, and templated amorphous polymers [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1713395395498236

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Dupont, Robert. Advancing liquid crystal elastomers through copolymerization, nanostructures, and templated amorphous polymers. 2024. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1713395395498236.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Dupont, Robert. "Advancing liquid crystal elastomers through copolymerization, nanostructures, and templated amorphous polymers." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2024. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1713395395498236

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1713395395498236
134
© 2024, some rights reserved.Creative Commons License Advancing liquid crystal elastomers through copolymerization, nanostructures, and templated amorphous polymers by Robert Lewis Dupont is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at etd.ohiolink.edu.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.
Release 3.2.12