Scientists have developed a smart material which responds to light stimulus easily by converting light into thermal energy. This can be helpful for harnessing solar energy for applications in soft robotics and micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) devices.
Many smart materials have successfully replicated stimuli-responsive behavior seen in abundance in nature like in Venus flytrap, pine cone, leaf of Mimosa pudica (‘touch me not’ plant), or a sunflower always trying to face the Sun. Venus flytrap closes its ciliated leaves when prey is in the vicinity. Liquid crystal polymer networks (LCNs) is one such smart material. On application of heat, a uniformly aligned LCN film undergoes a reversible 2- or 3-dimensional shape change caused by the LC- liquid phase transition. By manipulating the average orientation of the rod-shaped LC molecules, various shape…
Smart material developed for harnessing solar energy for applications in soft robotics
