Photo-Triggered Shape Reconfiguration in Stretchable Reduced Graphene Oxide-Patterned Azobenzene-Functionalized Liquid Crystalline Polymer Networks

Abstract

In recent years, the "Kirigami" have been exploited to engineer stretchable electronics that exhibit enhanced deformability without sacrificing their mechanical and electrical properties. However, kirigami-inspired engineering is often limited to passive mechanical stretching for 3D shape morphing. To counter this problem, in this study, azobenzene-functionalized liquid crystalline polymer networks (azo-LCNs) are monolithically integrated with patterned reduced graphene oxide (rGO), called azo-LCN/rGO, to achieve on-demand shape reconfiguration in response to external stimuli (UV, NIR, solar rays, and portable light); in addition, the azo-LCN/rGO exhibit highly enhanced mechanical and electrical properties. The cross-sectional area and thickness of rGO patterns are controlled using a masking technique and evaporative self-assembly. By the spatial patterning of rGO, insulating azo-LCNs are converted into electrically conducting structures (381.9 S cm(-1)). The elastic modulus of <2 mu m thick azo-LCN can be tailored in the range of 1.3-6.4 GPa by integration with rGO layers of thickness less than 2 mu m. Upon UV irradiation, azo-LCN/rGO exhibit both for/backward in-plane bending as well as out-of-plane chiral twisting, thus overcoming the typical trade-off relationship between elastic modulus and deformability. Finally, an on-demand contactless shape reconfiguration in azo-LCN/rGO by UV irradiation in conjunction with passive mechanical strain is demonstrated.