Photothermal responsive composites of graphene oxide/liquid crystal networks with different mesogenic arrangements towards flexible and bionic devices

Abstract

Photothermal response soft actuators have drawn great attention for their potential application in the field of biological soft robots and intelligent bionic equipment. In this paper, we prepare a series of graphene oxide (GO)/liquid crystal network (LCN) composite films that present reversible and fast deformation behaviour in response to infrared (IR) light and thermal stimuli. The GO/LCN composite film is prepared by coating the GO film on the LCN with different mesogenic arrangements. Owing to the anisotropic deformation of LCNs and the isotropic deformation of the GO film as well as the different degrees of deformation of the composite film, the composite exhibits different deformation modes according to the different mesogenic arrangements. The bending angle, response and recovery times are systematically investigated for the different types of composite film with different length/width ratios. The composite film actuator can realize complex bionic actions and can be fabricated for flexible smart devices, such as a curling leaf, a butterfly with flapping wings, smart tweezers, bionic robots, etc. The results show the great application of the GO/LCN composite film in flexible and bionic devices.