Chapter 28
Photomechanical Effects in Crosslinked
Liquid-Crystalline Polymers
with Photosynergetic Processes
Toru Ube and Tomiki Ikeda
Abstract Crosslinked liquid-crystalline polymers (CLCPs) containing
photochromic moieties show macroscopic deformation upon irradiation with light.
This conversion of light energy into mechanical work is attributed to photosynergetic
amplification of changes at multiscale: from nano to macro. This chapter focuses
on recent progress of photomobile polymer materials to achieve versatile design as
soft actuators. Three approaches are detailed: incorporation of amorphous polymers
into CLCPs to control mechanical and photoresponsive properties, reshaping of
CLCPs into various three-dimensional architectures through the rearrangement of
network structures, and application of two-photon absorption processes to enhance
the spatial selectivity of photoactuation.
Keywords Photochromism · Photomechanical effects · Interpenetrating polymer
networks · Dynamic covalent bonds · Two-photon absorption
28.1 Introduction
Crosslinked liquid-crystalline polymers (CLCPs) containing photochromic moieties
have been extensively studied as photomechanical materials, which show macroscopic deformation upon irradiation with light [1–6]. Feasibility of CLCPs as soft
actuators has been demonstrated through achievement of various photoinduced
motions, such as bending, twisting, and rotation. The direct conversion of light
energy into mechanical work is based on the photosynergetic amplification of changes
T. Ube · T. Ikeda (B)
Research and Development Initiative, Chuo University, 1-13-27, Kasuga,
Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 112-8551, Japan
e-mail: tikeda@tamacc.chuo-u.ac.jp
T. Ube
e-mail: ube@tamacc.chuo-u.ac.jp
T. Ikeda
Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences,
29 Zhongguancun East Road, Beijing 100190, China
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020
H. Miyasaka et al. (eds.), Photosynergetic Responses in Molecules
and Molecular Aggregates, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-5451-3_28
479
Photomechanical Effects in Crosslinked
Liquid-Crystalline Polymers
with Photosynergetic Processes
Toru Ube and Tomiki Ikeda
Abstract Crosslinked liquid-crystalline polymers (CLCPs) containing
photochromic moieties show macroscopic deformation upon irradiation with light.
This conversion of light energy into mechanical work is attributed to photosynergetic
amplification of changes at multiscale: from nano to macro. This chapter focuses
on recent progress of photomobile polymer materials to achieve versatile design as
soft actuators. Three approaches are detailed: incorporation of amorphous polymers
into CLCPs to control mechanical and photoresponsive properties, reshaping of
CLCPs into various three-dimensional architectures through the rearrangement of
network structures, and application of two-photon absorption processes to enhance
the spatial selectivity of photoactuation.
Keywords Photochromism · Photomechanical effects · Interpenetrating polymer
networks · Dynamic covalent bonds · Two-photon absorption
28.1 Introduction
Crosslinked liquid-crystalline polymers (CLCPs) containing photochromic moieties
have been extensively studied as photomechanical materials, which show macroscopic deformation upon irradiation with light [1–6]. Feasibility of CLCPs as soft
actuators has been demonstrated through achievement of various photoinduced
motions, such as bending, twisting, and rotation. The direct conversion of light
energy into mechanical work is based on the photosynergetic amplification of changes
T. Ube · T. Ikeda (B)
Research and Development Initiative, Chuo University, 1-13-27, Kasuga,
Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 112-8551, Japan
e-mail: tikeda@tamacc.chuo-u.ac.jp
T. Ube
e-mail: ube@tamacc.chuo-u.ac.jp
T. Ikeda
Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences,
29 Zhongguancun East Road, Beijing 100190, China
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020
H. Miyasaka et al. (eds.), Photosynergetic Responses in Molecules
and Molecular Aggregates, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-5451-3_28
479