Photomobile Smart Materials Based on Crosslinked Azobenzene Liquid-Crystalline Polymers

Photoinduced bending published in Nature
[pdf 80K]


Directed Bending of A Polymer Film by Light
Nature 425, 145 (2003)
Yanlei Yu, Makoto Nakano and Tomiki Ikeda


Polymer solutions and solids that contain light-sensitive molecules can undergo photo-contraction, whereby light energy is converted into mechanical energy. Here we show that a single film of a liquid-crystal network containing an azobenzene chromophore can be repeatedly and precisely bent along any chosen direction by using linearly polarized light. This striking photomechanical effect results from a photoselective volume contraction and may be useful in the development of high-speed actuators for microscale or nanoscale applications, for example in microrobots in medicine or optical microtweezers.
Related publications

  • Is Chemical Crosslinking Necessary for the Photoinduced Bending of Polymer Films?
    J. Mamiya, A. Yoshitake, M. Kondo, Y. Yu and T. Ikeda
    J. Mater. Chem., 18, 63-65 (2008).
  • Photomechanical Effects of Ferroelectric Liquid-Crystalline Elastomers Containing Azobenzene Chromophores
    Y. Yu, T. Maeda, J. Mamiya and T. Ikeda
    Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 46, 881-883 (2007).

  • Photomechanics of Liquid-Crystalline Elastomers and Other Polymers (Review article)
    T. Ikeda, J. Mamiya and Y. Yu
    Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 46, 506-528 (2007).

  • Photo-Mechanical Effects in Azobenzene-Containing Soft Materials
    C. J. Barrett, J. Mamiya, K. G. Yager and T. Ikeda
    Soft Matter, 3, 1249-1261 (2007)    . (Inner Cover page, pdf)
  • Macro- and Micro- Soft Actuators Based on Liquid-Crystalline Elastomers (Highlight article)
    Y. Yu and T. Ikeda
    Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 45, 5416-5418 (2006).
  • How Does the Initial Alignment of Mesogens Affect the Photoinduced Bending Behavior of the Azobenzene Liquid-Crystalline Elastomers? (Frontispiece page)
    M. Kondo, Y. Yu and T. Ikeda
    Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 45, 1378-1382 (2006).

  • Photodeformable Polymers: A kind of Promising Smart Material for Micro- and Nano-Applications (Highlight article)
    Y. Yu and T. Ikeda
    Macromol. Chem. Phys., 206, 1705-1708 (2005).

  • Alignment Modulation of Azobenzene-Containing Liquid Crystal Systems by Photochemical Reactions
    Y. Yu and T. Ikeda
    J. Photochem. Photobio. C: Photochem. Rev., 5, 247-265 (2004).
  • Photoinduced Bending and Unbending Behavior of Liquid-Crystalline Gels and Elastomers
    Y. Yu, M. Nakano and T. Ikeda
    Pure Appl. Chem., 76, 1467-1477 (2004).
  • Effect of Cross-Linking Density on Photoinduced Bending Behavior of Oriented Liquid-Crystalline Network Films Containing Azobenzene
    Y. Yu, M. Nakano, A. Shishido, T. Shiono and T. Ikeda
    Chem. Mater., 16, 1637-1643 (2004).
  • Directed Bending of A Polymer Film by Light (Nature Top Ten, No. 2)
    Y. Yu, M. Nakano and T. Ikeda
    Nature, 425, 145 (2003).<pdf>
  • Anisotropic Bending and Unbending Behavior of Azobenzene Liquid-Crystalline Gels by Light (Inner Cover page)
    T. Ikeda, M. Nakano, Y. Yu, O. Tsutsumi and A. Kanazawa
    Adv. Mater., 15, 201-205 (2003).
  • Photomodulation of Liquid Crystal Orientations for Photonic Applications (Review article)
    T. Ikeda
    J. Mater. Chem., 13, 2037-2057 (2003).


Reports by newsmedia
TV
  • NHK TV, September 11, "Morning News", 6:45 am-, 7:25 am-
    [mpeg4 8M]    Download the link by clicking a right button
  • TV Tokyo, September 12, "News Eye", 5:00 pm - 5:30 pm
    [mpeg4 11M]    Download the link by clicking a right button
Newspapers

Front pages
Kyoto, Yamagata, Niigata Nippo, Yamaguchi, Sanyo, Kumamoto Nichinichi, Tohoh Nippo, Daily Tohoku, Gifu
General papers
Asahi, Asahi Internet, Nikkei, Tokyo, Nishinihon, Ryukyu Shinpo, Okinawa Times, Kitaguni, Akita Sakigake, Muroran Minpo, Kawakita Shinpo, Ibaraki, Chunichi, Shizuoka, Fukui, Chugoku, Sanin-chuou Shinpo, Nagasaki, Kobe Shinbun, Yamanashi Nichinichi, Shimotsuke
Technilical papers
Nikkei Sangyo, Nikkan Kogyo, Nihon Kogyo, Chubu Keizai, Kagaku, Akahata