Flexo-Ionic Effect of Ionic Liquid Crystal Elastomers

The first study of the flexo-ionic effect, i.e., mechanical deformation-induced electric signal, of the recently discovered ionic liquid crystal elastomers (iLCEs) is reported. The measured flexo-ionic coefficients were found to strongly depend on the director alignment of the iLCE films and can be...

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Published inMolecules (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 26; no. 14; p. 4234
Main Authors Rajapaksha, C. P. Hemantha, Gunathilaka, M. D. Tharindupriya, Narute, Suresh, Albehaijan, Hamad, Piedrahita, Camilo, Paudel, Pushpa, Feng, Chenrun, Lüssem, Björn, Kyu, Thein, Jákli, Antal
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 12.07.2021
MDPI
Subjects
Crystals
Deformation effects
Elastomers
flexo-ionic effect
flexoelectricity
ionic liquid crystal elastomers
Ionic liquids
Ions
Liquid crystals
micropower generation
Morphology
Motion picture directors & producers
Polymers
Robotics
Sensors
Substrates
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Summary:The first study of the flexo-ionic effect, i.e., mechanical deformation-induced electric signal, of the recently discovered ionic liquid crystal elastomers (iLCEs) is reported. The measured flexo-ionic coefficients were found to strongly depend on the director alignment of the iLCE films and can be over 200 µC/m. This value is orders of magnitude higher than the flexo-electric coefficient found in insulating liquid crystals and is comparable to the well-developed ionic polymers (iEAPs). The shortest response times, i.e., the largest bandwidth of the flexo-ionic responses, is achieved in planar alignment, when the director is uniformly parallel to the substrates. These results render high potential for iLCE-based devices for applications in sensors and wearable micropower generators.
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ISSN:1420-3049
1420-3049
DOI:10.3390/molecules26144234